All Aglow with Marimekko

Last week I was a guest blogger for the US Embassy Helsinki’s social media site, the Beat of America. You can read my post “All Aglow with Marimekko” on the recent Marimekko exhibition at the Design Museo in Helsinki here.

60 Years of Marimekko!

“I only want to bring people together so they can get to know each other and gain something from one another.”

-Armi Ratia, the Founder of Marimekko

Marimekko – A Whole Life

60 Years of Colors, Stripes and Shapes

This past Thursday night, I attended the opening for the new Marimekko exhibition at the Design Museum. This show chronicles the company’s sixty years with a collection of textiles and apparel beginning with the very first designs for Printex. This oil-cloth company owned by Armi Ratia would later develop into Marimekko, an international leader in fashion and textile design.

Alongside clothing and accessories from previous decades, the show features archives and photos. I learned that originally Armi Ratia wanted to call the company simply “Armi” but this name was already registered to another venture. Ratia settled on Marimekko, the combination of an anagram of her name Armi and the word for dress in Finnish, mekko.

Walking around the show, I felt nostalgic for jumpsuits and the bold patterning of the 1960s. Below are my personal highlights from the opening with work from my favorite Marimekko designers including Maija Isola, Annika Rimala and the Japanese designer Katsuji Wakisaka.

Everything is Illuminated!

I’ve devoted so many posts recently to the light outside that it’s time to come indoors again. This post highlights some innovation approaches to interior lighting design I’ve seen here in Helsinki.

Saarinen at the Design Museo

Recycled plastics at the Design Expo

A chandelier in the Kämp Galleria Mall

Inside a hallway next to Galerie Forsblom

Vestibule at the World Trade Center Shopping Plaza