Armi Ratia (1912-1979) was the creative and commercial driving force behind Marimekko's early growth. The company name derives from her middle name "Mari" combined with mekko (Finnish for dress). The Marimekko wordmark has been in use since 1954, designed by graphic designer Helge Mether-Borgström using modified versions of Olivetti typewriter letterforms - a design choice that reflects the brand's graphic design sensibility from the outset.

In the 1950s-1960s, two designers defined Marimekko's visual identity: Vuokko Nurmesniemi (the boldly striped Jokapoika shirt, 1956) and Maija Isola (the Unikko poppy print, 1964). Marimekko's presentation at the 1957 Milan Triennale - invited by Finnish industrial designer Timo Sarpaneva - brought the brand to international attention; the garments were subsequently displayed in the Rinascente department store by the store's then display manager, Giorgio Armani.

The brand expanded into the United States in the 1960s through architect Benjamin C. Thompson's Design Research stores. Future First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy purchased eight Marimekko dresses worn throughout the 1960 presidential campaign, generating significant American press coverage. By 1965, Marimekko employed over 400 staff and had extended into fabrics, toys, dinnerware, and fully furnished small houses.

After the company's 1985 sale to Amer-yhtymä (now Amer Sports) and near-bankruptcy in the early 1990s, Kirsti Paakkanen acquired Marimekko and oversaw a revival. By 2005, revenue had quadrupled and net income had grown 200-fold since her purchase. In 2007, Paakkanen began transitioning ownership to Mika Ihamuotila (CEO and largest shareholder). The company celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2021 with the publication of Marimekko: The Art of Printmaking (Thames and Hudson).

A 2013 plagiarism controversy - in which in-house designer Kristina Isola admitted copying design elements from a 1963 painting by Ukrainian folk artist Maria Prymachenko - resulted in legal action by the National Museum of Ukrainian Folk Art and the repainting of a Finnair aircraft that had been decorated with the infringing design. Additional plagiarism accusations involving Maria Jauhiainen, Markus Lepo, and Heljä Liukko-Sundström followed; five designs came under scrutiny. Marimekko's CEO later apologised for misleading consumers regarding the originality of designs in the Lepo case.

Companies