Marimekko

Marimekko

Marimekko Corporation is a Finnish textiles, clothing, and home furnishings company founded by Viljo and Armi Ratia in Helsinki on May 25, 1951. The company began after Viljo’s oil-cloth factory project failed and was converted to a garment plant. Armi asked artist friends to apply their graphic designs to textiles, and to show how the fabric could be used, the company designed and sold a line of simple dresses. Two designers in particular — Vuokko Nurmesniemi with bold stripes and Maija Isola with large simple flowered prints such as the iconic Unikko poppy — created hundreds of distinctive patterns and helped make Marimekko a household name worldwide.

The brand made important contributions to la mode in the 1960s and gained international fame when Jacqueline Kennedy purchased several Marimekko dresses during the 1960 presidential campaign. Today, Marimekko operates 153 stores worldwide and is publicly traded on the Nasdaq Helsinki exchange, with annual revenue of approximately €166.5 million.

Marimekko’s design philosophy has never been about following trends but rather about creating designs that will be beautiful for a long time. Timelessness, self-expression, joyfulness, and the empowerment of women have been cornerstones since the beginning. The current CEO, Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko, continues this legacy.

The brand’s sustainability agenda includes ambitious 2025 targets to reduce environmental impact across operations and the value chain. Marimekko participated in Semaine de la mode de Copenhague as early as 2021, presenting a conceptual short film for its 70th anniversary, and was awarded second place in the Zalando Sustainability Awards. The brand has been a returning presence on the CPHFW schedule. For SS27, Marimekko presents in show format.