Marimekko has been built by the work and thoughts of passionate people. Some of them were designers, others were working in production, and some were loyal friends who helped make Marimekko great.

But Marimekko would have never been Marimekko without Armi Ratia, the company's founder and visionary. On July 13th 2012, Armi would have turned 100 years old. To honour her passion for writing Marimekko created an online collaboration campaign during January - March 2012.

People's stories

We received thousands of passionate stories, poems, and thoughts about the topic of emotional quality of life from people around the world. We're currently spending time reading through the stories in detail and we'll share our thoughts with all of you on this page in the coming months. Marimekko continues to be built by the work and thoughts of passionate people. Thank you for all who participated and check back here for the next steps in celebrating Armi Ratia's legacy!

Colour and Joy

Finland struggled with scarcity and greyness after World War Two. In 1951, Finland experienced something that would bring the colour and joy people craved for. It was the year Armi Ratia, together with her husband Viljo, founded Marimekko. This year, Armi would have celebrated her 100th birthday on the 13th of July.

During her time at Marimekko, Armi Ratia worked as a textile artist, managing director, creative director, wizard of words, and publicity guru. She was a trailblazer who made Marimekko a way of life that embraced the everyday and the extraordinary.

Marimekko was Armi, and Armi was Marimekko.

According to Armi, Marimekko opposed the false seriousness of everyday life by laughing at pomposity and taking pleasure in the little things of life. For her, Marimekko meant everyday beauty: “… we will learn to give life a touch of the poetic fragrance of wild rosemary, the softness of cotton grass and the hues of meadowsweet.”