Step into Spring 2013 with Marimekko

Marimekko Spring 2013 – full catalog here.

It’s (almost) that time of year again, SPRING! To celebrate, I’m sharing new images from Marimekko‘s Spring 2013 campaign, “Colour for a reason.”  Aren’t these colors and textiles like a breath of fresh air?? Be sure to drop by one of their stores, or check out their new collections online here.

Spring 2013 at Marimekko – Colour for a reason. Get into it!

Maija Isola pattern from 1961, today in 2013. How great is that?

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Kate (Spade) + Florence (Broadhurst)

Get into this video from the Spring 2012 campaign from the folks at Kate Spade NY featuring the work of textile designer Florence Broadhurst. I’m really digging the black and white graphic patterns paired with pops of neon color. From a design standpoint this is really cool – I’m all about black + white plus a pop of color (or two). Before seeing the video and checking out Kate Spade’s blog I’d never heard of Broadhurst. Just like Maija Isola at Marimekko, Broadhurst seems like a larger than life personality with equally large artistic talent. It’s nice to see female textile designers hitting it big now, and pattern/textile design coming more and more in fashion. I feel like the whole practice of textile and pattern design is finally starting to get the praise it deserves.

There’s an interesting article about Broadhurst on Architecture Digest here. AD writes,

There have been women in history, such as the hostesses of the 18thcentury Parisian salons, who had the charisma and the discrimination to gather talent around them and associate themselves with it. Florence Broadhurst—chanteuse in Shanghai in the 1920s, couturier on Bond Street in the ’30s, painter in Australia in the ’50s and designer of extraordinary wallpaper from the early ’60s until her brutal and unsolved murder in the ’70s—was such a personality. Broadhurst’s legacy of 530 hand-printed wallpapers was bought by David Lennie in 1989 as part of a 5,000-piece archive called Signature Prints. “The power is in the sheer size of her work,” says Lennie.

There is no question that it was Broadhurst’s larger-than-life personality, marked by a strident voice bursting from a slight frame under a dome of bright orange hair, that inspired the collection and marketed it. Without Florence Broadhurst, there would be no Florence Broadhurst wallpapers.

No such thing as too much pattern!

See – Black & White and neon – how great does that look?

Sweet suitcase.

The book – buying this today!

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Marimekko Flagship NYC

This weekend I finally made it to the new Marimekko NYC Flagship store just across from the Flatiron Building in NYC. I was curious to see how the design of the store might differ from the shops I saw in Helsinki and Copenhagen during my summer abroad. The NY store was pretty big and had lots of stuff in it! There are different sections for home products, bedding, kids stuff and women and MENS! fashion. I had no idea they were making men’s fashion items – but I’m glad they are. It’s worth stopping by to see all the beautiful printed textiles on the rolls and see how the designers apply these prints for different uses. You can notice how the scale of the pattern shifts for use on a pillow vs. a dress vs. a shower curtain or a coffee mug. It’s really inspiring to see all these beautiful prints housed together in one place and step into their colourful world.

I was also happy to find another copy of their Fall/Autumn mailer. I’d found a copy in the Copenhagen store and I really loved all the dark colors and reds they used together in that campaign. You can tell they’re making a push to enter the high fashion market and diversify beyond home goods. I think they’re off to the right track! Here are a few images below for your viewing pleasure.

I love the contrast between B&W and pops of red, so bold and graphic. Much more my style and taste .. too bad there is not a men’s version of this.

They also have a lot of pieces inspired by the beautiful birch trees found throughout most of Scandinavia.

I love the textile hanging at the bottom. Not sure how to use it on clothes, since it’s such a huge repeat. But it would look BEAUTIFUL framed/hung on a wall.

Here’s a look that pairs well with the pattern behind – but you can see they didn’t apply it directly to any pieces. It would have to be used very abstractly.

Also while you’re there, pick up their Holiday 2011 catalog.

I love the graphic design of all the Marimekko stuff- lots of big type.

Holiday Prints!

Looks like a party right? These dresses are pretty cool, with the black tights and shoes.

The store is located at 200 5th Ave in NYC – check it out!

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Day two: Maija Isola

 

Maija Isola (1927–2001) worked as head designer of Marimekko’s interior fabrics until 1987. She also had an illustrious career as a visual artist. Unikko (above) from 1964 is the most widely known among her extremely popular fabric designs.

Maija Isola was a tremendously versatile and bold artist. She interpreted the events of her era from her own unique perspective and foresaw future trends. Her body of work includes over 500 prints – a brilliant selection of patterns representing different themes and techniques. She drew inspiration from traditional folk art, modern visual art, nature and her countless trips around the world. In 1970, Maija Isola wrote to her daughter from Paris: “Bon soir children. I’m having a wonderful time these days. I’ve started working. Once again, I feel as if I’ll never find the time to do even a fraction of all the things I want to do. – – I had a huge floral still-life of sorts spread out wet on the floor, waiting to be rolled up … paints in yoghurt pots, and newspaper everywhere, and flowers in vases on the floorboards. I bought those to paint from on Pentecost. Large deep-red roses, small and fragrant, curiously furry pink roses, yellow, orange and white poppies, cowslips in various shades of purple, black tulips and tiny carmine flowers whose name I don’t know.”

I particularly enjoyed the stories of her and all her menz. Apparently she had many artist boyfriends with which she regularly traveled around the world. Sounds like an interesting life. I have the book from her recent retrospective, but it’s in Finnish – so sadly I can’t read it. In this post are just a few of the MANY patterns she designed for Marimekko.

Maija Isola’s contributions are enormous. Below are just a few of the 100′s of prints she designed:

Many prints were turned into wallpaper – and mixed with other textiles.

Many of the textiles were also used for Fashion, in the 1970s and today.

 

 

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7 designers, 7 days

For the next 7 days I’m going to feature one designer from my whirlwind study tour of Scandinavia.

Sunday to Sunday, seven designers, seven days.

I hope you enjoy their work as much as I did!

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