Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi

Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi joined Marimekko in 1953 to design clothing and printed fabrics for clothing and interior decoration. She had a major impact on the formation of Marimekko’s original line of fashions and the development of its industrial production. The fabrics she created were something completely new and avant-garde in 1950s Finland. In 1953, she designed the striped Piccolo fabric, and from it the Jokapoika shirt in 1956; Jokapoika has been in continual production ever since. Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi worked at Marimekko until 1960.

Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi, how did you become a designer?
I am a ceramist by training. I was admitted to the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki at the age of only 17. The teaching was wonderful, and I am happy that I did not train as a fashion designer. It freed me from following fashion trends.

What is your design process like?
I have a vision of the final product in my mind. Design is about searching the means to achieve the desired result.

What inspires you?
Working inspires me. I do not sit and wait for inspiration to come.

Where would you like to see your fabrics used?
I appreciate creativity and I believe that people can themselves find ways to use the textiles I have designed.

What do you think are the most important characteristics in a designer?
Independent thinking, creativity, experimentation, honesty and responsibility. I have always spoken for original design. The designer’s responsibility for the product is multi-level. It concerns both the originality of the product and the choices the designer makes. I myself was enthused about environmental protection as early as the 1960s. I am an eager advocate of natural materials. I take ecological factors into account in my work, and I believe that designers can influence issues through their choices.

What do you dream of?
For the future, I wish health, to be able to continue working. I would like to see Finnish design remain highly valued and retain its distinctiveness. The Finns are a poetic and creative people with a unique, close relationship with nature. I hope that this relationship will remain original and will translate into distinctive Finnish design in the future as well.