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Marimekko - One Of the Leading Textile Companies

By: John Melaugh

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 by Armi and Viljo Ratia in 1951 and has since established a reputation for producing quality textiles for home furnishings and clothing. The Finland-based company actually began in 1949 by acquiring Printex Oy-an oilcloth factory in the suburbs of Helsinki. After a refit, the factory reintroduced the craft-based technique of hand silk-screen printing on cotton sheeting.
This approach, distinguished by its resultant irregularities and duplicated patterning, made every design appear hand-made. While production methods have long since been automated, the corporation still prints to a level of manually-produced quality. By utilizing its distinctive patterns and natural fibers, it underscored its commitment to Scandinavia's love of 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.
Simple wrap dresses and plain styles that buttoned down the bodice were included, putting the focus squarely on the cloth instead of on the apparel's designs. This line was dubbed Marimekko (or Mary's little pinafore dress). Since that time, the company has licensed various foreign firms from 1968 on in order to extend its merchandise to encompass tablecloths and dinner napkins, bed linens, serving ware, dish ware, glassware, furniture (möbler) and other home furnishings, area rugs, and wallpaper.
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.

Article Source: http://www.article-voip.com

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. The collection was so named by combining the old-fashioned Finnish girl's name of Maria and the term mekko which described a tow shirt.

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