Marimekko, With Love

 

 "There is only one responsibility - beauty.

There is only one reality - a dream.

There is only one strength - love."

-marimekko founder, Armi Ratia 

If you are a child of the 70s like me, you probably remember Marimekko! If not by name, you'll likely remember the large, colorful, graphical, flower prints that adorned dresses, bedspreads and living room walls.

I was so excited when I heard the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle was hosting the Marimekko, With Love exhibit.

This exhibit really got my juices flowing because it's colorful and I love Scandinavian design and sensibility. Plus it made me nostalgic for my childhood where large yellow Marimekko blooms adorned our home.

 "I don't really sell clothes. I sell a way of living.

These are designs, not fashions.... I sell an idea rather than a dress."

-marimekko founder, Armi Ratia 

Marimekko, With Love offers a retrospective look at the company's mid-century origins and the role Marimekko played in shaping a new aesthetic and approach to living through fashion and design.

The exhibition draws together landmark Marimekko fabrics and fashions created by pioneering designers under Armi Ratia's leadership from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Furthermore, Marimekko played a vital role in the modernization of Finland and the transformation of 20th century design, embodying social change and a business model within which the ideological and aesthetic choices were primary. 

If you have a chance to see Marimekko, With Love I highly recommend it.