Welcome to the prints land: Marimekko fall/winter 2017/2018

For many years, I thought that Nordic design is supposed to be in black and white. And wood, or maybe a little bit of steel. But the first encounter with a Marimekko red bag changes my perspective. As well as the Marimekko Fall/Winter 2017/2018 ready-to-wear collection made me think maybe I could skip the monochrome coat for the winter…

The Marimekko Fall/Winter 2017/2018 ready-to-wear collection could be found on  www.marimekko.fi. 

This season, at Paris Fashion Week, Marimekko had one of the happiest and coolest collection. But, until I could wear those beautiful floral dresses… winter is coming, as some people would say. Therefore, let’s get ready for winter time!

The Marimekko Fall/Winter 2017/2018 ready-to-wear collection stands under the “Design for life” slogan. In 2017, Marimekko celebrates Finnish creativity and the cultural heritage. The collection is inspired by Finnish art, architecture and folklore and the mysticism of national epic Kalevala. I just loved the burgundy floral dresses, the printed jumpsuit and the oversized puffa jackets.

A little bit of history… let’s say that no everybody trusted that the prints are going to be big in the fashion industry (especially in Nordic countries). Therefore, in 1949, when Viljo Ratia Founded Printex, a small Helsinki based textile company and Viljo’s wife, Armi Ratia started to gather a group of artists around her, nobody gave them a chance. Amfora design was one of the first prints and the solution to convince the reticent buyers was, at that time… a fashion show. Few years later, Jacqueline Kennedy appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated wearing a Marimekko floral dress, The business grew even bigger, covering USA and Japan markets and developing iconic patterns (poppy – Unikko – is my favourite, by far!). We have now clothes, tableware, decorations and various textiles signed by Marimekko. www.marimekko.fi

Photography: www.marimekko.fi

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