Marimekko is a Finnish fashion company known for its brightly coloured printed fabrics and simple styles, used both in women’s clothing and in home furnishings.

Founded in 1951 by Armi Ratia, Marimekko is one of Finland’s most successful businesses. Even though the company was found in 1951, Armi Ratia already had a clear idea of the future few years before starting Marimekko.

Marimekko received international recognition in 1960, when the wife of the president of the United States of America, Jacqueline Kennedy, wore a Marimekko dress on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. In the mid 1960s, the US retailer Crate & Barrel began a long-standing partnership with Marimekko, which continues to this day, utilizing their designs on textiles sold in their stores.

In 1964 one of the designers, Maija Isola, painted the glowing Unikko (Poppy) and so doing defied Armi’s ban on flower patterns. But as it turned out, she created one of Marimekko’s best and most loved prints of all time. After that Maija Isola has designed a lot of iconic patterns for Marimekko, all inspired by natural landscapes such as Kaivo (Well), Seireeni (Siren), Kivet (Stones) and Lokki (Seagull).

If you’re traveling in Finland and are interested in browsing Marimekko products, you’re in luck. There are over one hundred stores that sell Marimekko and they can be found all around Finland. Travel to Rovaniemi in Lapland, and you’ll find one store right in the heart of Santa Claus Village.

Or if you want to stay in the Finnish capital, you can join a tour through the design district. The design district of Helsinki is the heart of Finnish design with its shops, galleries, museums and design styled restaurants. On the tour you’ll find some of the Finnish classics like Marimekko and Artek, and also some up-and-coming designers. Helsinki also has the most stores that sell Marimekko in Finland, 15 in total. Why not go shopping in shopping center Kamppi and visit one of the Marimekko stores there.

We’ll be happy to help you if you’re interested in combining your Lapland holiday in Finland with shopping for design classics.

Here are two of our Rovaniemi holidays:

Winter Wonderland Family Holiday at Santa’s Village: www.magneticnorthtravel.com/tour/details/winter-wonderland-family-holiday-at-santas-village

Winter Cabin Holiday in Rovaniemi: www.magneticnorthtravel.com/tour/details/winter-cabin-holiday-santa-rovaniemi-lapland