Marimekko - Highest Quality Textiles

A mighty Finnish design era came out of the rubble of WWII and was granted decisive impetus by the International Triennial's of 1951 and 1954 which clearly set up the concept of Finnish design. By officially blending design into production, materials from Marimekko had achieved international consideration with their distinguishing of a select market receptive to the large Finnish design look.
Marimekko was founded in 1951 by Armi and Viljo Ratia and has built a reputation since then for producing high quality textiles for clothes and home furnishings. This Finland-based firm actually started in 1949, acquiring the Printex-Oy--an oilcloth factory located in Helsinki's suburbs. After refitting, this factory reintroduced the craft-based method of hand silk-screen printing on cotton sheeting.
The procedure, which was known bya nonuniform outcome and recap lines, elicit a human feel to every design. Though building techniques were mechanized years ago, the business stays building hand-crafted value in its printing. Its work of attractive designs and regular fibers further upheld its liability to the Scandinavian empathy for nature.
With Armi as its design director, the firm moved away from the standard approach of the other fabric designers in Finland at that time, utilizing an assortment of patterns which incorporated the abstract graphics of various artists rather than realistic images. Their original collection of basic women's dresses, which debuted in the city of Helsinki back in 1951, was a means of showcasing the corporation's printed cottons.
Wraparound and front buttoning articles of clothing were incorporated, bringing focus to the fabric instead of the styling of the garments. This collection was known as Marimekko, a combination of the old Finnish girl's name of Maria along with the term mekko, which is a tow shirt, open in the back and worn like a pinafore or apron. Since that time, "Maria's little dress" has grown to encompass items from home furnishing textiles to paper products, ceramics, rugs, wall coverings and even furniture (möbler).
By the close of the 1900s, Marimekko had already succeeded in re-establishing itself in the United States. It offered American purchasers popular textiles and interior design (inredning) merchandise (for interiors and exteriors alike), including wallpaper, bedding, area rugs and lots more via a network of licensed firms. While it may not be quite as famous as numerous other fabric companies, its striking and distinctive patterns and characteristic choices of vivid colors are easily recognized and give it a unique identity which is as alive today as it ever was.

By: John Melaugh

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

A strong Finnish design movement emerged after World War II and was given decisive impetus by the International Triennial's of 1951 and 1954 which defined the concept of "Finish design." By formally integrating design into manufacturing, textiles from Marimekko acquired international attention through their identification of an exclusive market responsive to the strong Finnish design aesthetic.