2. HISTORY - 1951 : Foundation by Armi and Viljo Rati. - 1960s : The brand begin to be known in Europe, and then in the world. - 1979 : Death of Armi Rati. The company is experiencing increasing difficulties. - 1991 : Paakkanen, retired advertising Finnish, buy the brand.

3. A COMPANY MADE BY WOMEN FOR WOMEN - Right from the start,Armi Rati worked with a team of young female designers. Today the company still employs 90 % of women. - Marimekko's mission : improve the quality of women life through fashion and design, with wide dresses offering greater freedom of movements → a stance opposite to corseted, sober and discreet post-war oufit → a symbol of women's emancipation, with bowls and clear colors

4. A VERY CHARACTERISTIC DESIGN Themes → drawn from life and world : nature, events, people. Patterns → simple and clean, but original and adventurous Colours → lively, bright and clear « Modern yet traditional, Finnish yet international, sober yet bold. »

5. AMBASSADORS OF CHOICE ! Jackie Kennedy Carrie Bradshaw Hillary Clinton

6. The Pieni Unikko design : on of Marimekko's most popular designs

7. TODAY - Production in Finland (1/3) and in Europe - Shops and retailers throughout Finland and all over the world. - 500 employees (40 designers) - 4 collections each year. The icon of Finnish design, a part of the cultural heritage of Finland !

8. Thank you for your attention !