Marimekko:
Design Icon 1951 to 2018

Established during the golden age of post-war modernism, Marimekko is the Finnish textile and fashion company that achieved international fame in the 1960s and 70s with its bold screen prints and pop-art style graphics. Coinciding with the emerging liberation of women, the founding of Marimekko, or ‘Mary dress’ as the name literally translates, represented a pure concept; free from rules and constraints.

This exhibition traces Marimekko’s meteoric rise from the 1950s to the present, and explores the dualities that define its aesthetic. Its iconic fabric patterns and unconventional ready-to-wear outfits brought colour and informality to an otherwise self-conscious fashion world. With more than 60 outfits, swathes of original fabrics, homewares, sketches and other archival materials, the exhibition focuses on the work of the talented individuals who defined this local textile practice and created its internationally recognisable designs.

Image courtesy of Bendigo Art Gallery, Australia.