Marimekko will be celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2021. In the first home collection of the anniversary year, the brand will present interesting collaborations, new forms of Marimekko favorites, and a host of fun new acquaintances.
MARIMEKKO'S SPRING HOME COLLECTION celebrates the story of the brand, spanning over seven decades, by nurturing creative collaboration and focusing on where it all started: original print designs. In addition to the spring news, the collection also features Marimekko's most iconic patterns presented in a new, fresh way, in the form of the Marimekko Co-created collection and the much-anticipated Juhla Unikko mugs. Some of the spring novelties are already available at Finnish Design Shop, and the rest will arrive in our online store soon.
Classic yet contemporary
In honor of the anniversary year, Marimekko has asked interesting designers from all over the world to re-interpret Marimekko's design philosophy and its most beloved patterns. Four special limited-editioncollections, called Marimekko Co-created, are to be released during 2021, and for the first of the collections, Finnish designers Antti Kekki and Matts Bjolin have reimagined the Unikko, Kivet and Lokki patterns designed by Maija Isola. The result is a series of collages that celebrate the work of Isola, one of Marimekko's most prolific designers.
The song of the siren
The Seireeni pattern, also designed by Maija Isola, is seen in the collection in serene shades of blue and off-white. Inspired by her trip to Greece in the 1960s, Isola intended the curved sections of the pattern to depict the movements of water. Given the inspiration behind the pattern, the color scheme feels particularly fitting – the hues evoke images of the picturesque sandy beaches of the country’s numerous islands.
Creative collaboration
The Ruudut pattern seen in home textiles and Oiva tableware is proof of the power of collaboration: the collage-like pattern has been created by combining nature-themed sketches by Erja Hirvi, Maija Louekari, Aino-Maija Metsola, and Jenni Tuominen. The end result perfectly reflects Marimekko as a multi-faceted creative community.
What makes the collection even more interesting is that the cushion cover and thick cotton fabric of the Ruudut series are printed using surplus dyes of Marimekko's own fabric printing plant in Herttoniemi, Helsinki. Because the patterns are printed with a mix of the dyes available at that particular time, the shades of the prints may vary from batch to batch. A cushion cover and cotton fabric with the iconic Unikko pattern are also available printed with surplus dyes.
Poppy party
The most anticipated of the new products, at least on the basis of social media, are probably the black-and-white Juhla Unikko mugs featuring the classic Unikko pattern, Finnish for "poppy". The mugs are sold in a special gift box that includes two mugs in opposite shades, and they are only available as a limited edition – be quick! Fortunately, another batch of the special jubilee mugs will be arriving to Finnish Design Shop later in the spring, if you happen to miss out on them now.
Residents of Mari Village
The special anniversary products also include the Marikyläläiset collectibles designed by Jenni Tuominen: Omppu, Pilkkuhauva and Raita-Armi. The charming ceramic figures are produced as a small-scale special edition, making them both everyday objects and unique pieces of ceramic art at the same time. The Marikyläläiset series also follows the theme of collaboration, as the lower parts of the jars are dishes from the Oiva tableware series designed by Sami Ruotsalainen. The first three characters will arrive in our online store soon, and new characters are to be introduced later this year.
See also:
• All products from Marimekko >
Text: Emmi Ratilainen Images: Marimekko