"Marimekko, With Love" Brings Bold Finnish Design to Seattle
The Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, Washington is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition Marimekko, With Love, opening on March 10, 2017. 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.
Founded in 1951 by visionary designer Armi Ratia and her husband Viljo, Marimekko sparked an international revolution in post-WWII pattern and textile production. Marimekko was “a cultural phenomenon guiding the quality of living,” Ratia said in 1962. Marimekko was brought to widespread American attention in 1960 when Jacqueline Kennedy purchased seven Marimekko dresses and wore them while campaigning with her husband for his presidential bid. Today, the company has an instantly-recognizable aesthetic, producing bold designs with wide appeal. Their mission is to merge function and form, creating fashion and home items that are as beautiful as they are usable.
Marimekko, With Love draws together landmark fabrics and fashions created by pioneering designers under founder Armi Ratia’s leadership. The exhibit also features a breadth of archival material highlighting the personal stories and social relationships at the heart of Marimekko’s growing global impact during the 1950s to the 70s.
Marimekko, With Love was organized by the Textile Museum of Canada and curated by Shauna McCabe.