Marimekko

Marimekko – art of print making since 1951

Marimekko is a Finnish design house celebrated worldwide for its original prints and colours. Founded in 1951 by a visionary woman Armi Ratia, Marimekko is said to be one of the world's first real lifestyle brands combining fashion, bags and accessories as well as home decoration into one unique point of view.

Over the years, we have remained true to our original mission. Through our timeless, distinctive and functional designs, we want to empower people to be happy as they are and bring joy to their everyday lives through bold prints and colours.

The following values are the foundation on which we build our story.

Living, not pretending

People should always be themselves, living their own lives and not playacting for others. We at Marimekko have always sought – and found – the keys to a beautiful everyday life. We want to taste the authentic flavour of life, thus finding joy and intensity for the working day. Once in a while it's good to ask if this tastes good or is there perhaps some off-flavour. Following fashion and pointless ingratiation should be avoided. Usually, you should just boldly follow your own internal beacon.

Fairness to everyone and everything

We at Marimekko are always fair to everyone and everything. We create products that bring people joy for a long time and cause the minimum of environmental impacts. For us, our word is our bond, and we also expect the same of all our partners. In an atmosphere of fairness, you can have the courage to paint with bolder strokes. We at Marimekko boldly and directly say what we're thinking, even when our opinions differ. Straight talk achieves much more than is commonly thought.

Common sense

Marimekko creates clear products that do the job rather than complicated and fancy goods. People don't want to be surrounded by anything unnecessary. At Marimekko, we work like the company belonged to all of us. You need to reach for the heights, but plain common sense has to be applied often rather than occasionally. Empty wishful thinking should not be cultivated at work - or in life.

Getting things done - together

It's always much nicer to be together, in good company. Together you can handle the biggest challenges. There's a saying in Finland - "we don't leave our buddies behind" - and this spirit is needed more widely in the world. Doing things together cultivates an atmosphere of openness and trust, which is a prerequisite to boldness and creativity. At Marimekko, we get on with things instead of messing with mere intentions. There is no point in drawing up fine plans if ordinary work is not respected or done properly. The best way is to get right to work, together.

Courage, even at the risk of failure

What in the end do you lose if you take a step out into something new and unknown? At Marimekko you can - and should - be bold. Without courage there is no creativity. We accept human failures. It helps to be brave if you don't take things too seriously - and especially not yourself. We develop Marimekko with a long-term view, because we want to build something unique and meaningful, even if we have to pay for it in the short term. This kind of long perspective is far too rare in the world today. But it lays the foundations for courage - if it doesn't actually compel it.

Joy

Need we say more?