One small Finnish clothing company, MARIMEKKO, had a huge impact on independent women of the 1960s Moira Jeffrey travels to its homeland to find out why the company remains influential today.
it 26 December 1960. a photograph of
Jacqueline Kennedy appeared on the
cover of Sports Illustrated. She is with her husband. John F Kennedy. on board their yacht. JFK is wearing a blue polo shirt: Jackie. the very picture of tousle—haired informality. is wearing a pink sleeveless cotton sundress. The garment is by cult Finnish design company Marimekko (Mrs Kennedy. a heroic shopper. apparently owned eight) and the subliminal message is clear. Jackie is a modern woman: a hard-working practical wife. but with an independent mind. Cutting edge enough to buy modern Scandinavian design. yet a sporty American through and through.
Across the United States. Europe and Japan. the small Finnish design company. founded in I951. was taking the fashion and interiors world by storm. Over the next two decades bold furnishing fabrics by one of its best known designers Maija Isola would become world famous. In I968 a striped jersey T—shirt. designed by Annika Rimala and inspired by American coal miners at the turn of the 20th century. would become the uniform of left bank intellectuals and far-sighted fashionistas everywhere.
There were even sightings of a new social phenomenon. the ‘Marimekko Woman‘. who. like the fiapper between the wars. defined the values of her liberated age. ‘The Marimekko Woman is easily recognised] company founder Armi Ratia said. ‘She may work in an office or at borne. but her style in wearing dresses is to forget them.‘
In I963 the New York Hera/(l 'I‘ri'bimv dubbed Marimekko ‘the uniform for intellectuals‘. A popular Marimekko suit of the early 70s was geared towards ‘architects. artists. editors and other professionals’. In 1968. when Finnish students rioted in Helsinki. they did so wearing distinctive Marimekko jackets. The neighbouring Swedish press dissected their clothing with glee. It was clear. they wrote. that Finland‘s most successful fashion company had been infiltrated by left-wingers.
This month Scottish audiences will have their chance to assess the phenomenon. when the exhibition Marimekko: rubrics. Fashion and Arr/it'm'turc. curated by Marianne Aav of the Design Museum Finland. comes to the Lighthouse in Glasgow. In the mean time I'm in Helsinki to experience it at first hand.
At the company‘s factory and IIQ. an iconic utilitarian ()(Js building in I-Ierttoniemi. an
Vintage flame
industrial sector of Helsinki. the first thing that becomes clear is that this is a company run by women. In the staff canteen. where a vase of flowers and a Marimekko printed cloth decorate every table. small groups of women are having breakfast as the working day begins. Upstairs. in the buying rooms. huddles of foreign clients look through samples with women from the export teams. The workforce of around 350 people is 95% female. Staff laugh when I bring it tip. There is a handful of male designers. I‘m told. some men in the office. and. it is mentioned with a smile. some men in IT.
While smart black suits dominate among the senior staff. in the machine rooms and on the factory floor many of the workforce are dressed in their own idiosyncratic combinations of company gear: a pair of brightly patterned colourful clogs here. a striped T—shin there. For a factory the building is surprisingly light and airy. The pristine white public spaces are hung with fabrics from the ceiling beams. The factory floor combines the latest technology with the most basic of screen-printing techniques. which have been maintained to preserve the company’s distinctive large format designs.
Marimekko was founded by a charismatic woman. Armi Ratia. a former textile designer with experience in the advertising business. Iimerging from the Printcx oilcloth business. it staged one of Finland's first fashion shows and became a radical fashion sensation. Focusing on clothing. interiors and bags. Marimekko embraced bold shapes. colourful abstract patterns and the lifestyle concept before such a term even existed. Its advertising showed bold. independent young women and families living the good life. largely because the company itself
‘MARIMEKKO WOMAN WANTED TO WORK OUTSIDE THE HOME AND ALSO MAKE A BEAUTIFUL PLACE FOR HER FAMILY AT HOME'
was made tip of bold. independent young women and often their families too: husband and wife design teams: mothers and daughters working together. ‘It was a family company.‘ a Marimekko employee of some 40 years standing tells me. ‘Family and friends.‘
These days. the keeper of the traditional Marimekko flame is Kristina Isola. whose mother. the freelance textile designer Maija Isola. began working with the company’s founder at Printex as early as I949. Kristina. a trained filmmaker. started helping her mother out in the studio and these days is in charge of a team selecting and reviving some vintage Marimekko designs. like the giant daisy symbol Unikko. which has become a virtual trademark of the company.
‘I’eople are really very loyal] she says. ‘We have very good friends here. we meet outside of
Trend femmes
Marimekko made a big name for itself by putting women at the forefront of Finnish fashion. Katy McAulay looks at some other ladies who have gone on to make great strides. Quite literally, in some cases.
Amelia Bloomer No prizes for guessing what article of clothing this American feminist popularised in the 18508. Writing in her own monthly paper, The My. the temperance advocate
3:" a transformed dress standards for women, making them less restrictive by tWinning shorter skirts with ankle length undergarments.
Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel
In 1912. Chanel opened her first inillinery shop in DeauVille. France. Revolutionising women's fashion by setting them free from the corset with tailored suits. women's trousers and chain-belted Jerseys. she went on to launch a range of perfumes beginning With Chanel No 5 in 1922.
Mary Ouant
The London boutigue owner was responsible for pushing hemlines higher than ever
before. Chain )ion of the routh l i
/,7 movement in the (30s. she ’- introduced the mini skirt and ar- hot pants. creating a crowd of
TWiggy wannabes Wlill her swinging designs.
7‘! Barbara Hulanicki ' Biba fashions. which began as
a small mail-oider business named after the designer's sister. were not part of the swinging mainstream. lVlllll skirts and geometric designs
. - ‘ went straight out of the ‘.'./lll(l()‘-.'.' in favour of long. flowing skirts and plain colours, The Biba girls were skinny with big eyes. and their hairstyles favoured misty curls instead of the harsh crops of Vidal Sassoon.
Madonnabes
Madonna may not have been a designer. but college girls around the world looked to the first lady of accessoiising for inspiration throughout the 80s. whether she was favouring lace gloves or piXie boots.
Harajuku girls Although they've been
popularised by Gwen Stefani.
jg";-
the real Haraiuku girls aren't too pleased by her bastardised version. According to one advocate. llaiajuku style is ‘what might happen if a the year-old girl. Jacked up on liguoi and goofballs. decided to become a stylist'. l ayenng and the combination of disparate styles from vintage to cyber punk are the style tricks of the Japanese girls who spend theu‘ time being seen around the shopping district of the same name.
‘rit’F THE LIST 17