Marimekko: The Art of Printmaking

Marimekko: The Art of Printmaking is a celebration for one of the most renowned and recognizable “créateurs” of the last and present centuries. Remarkably, even the most dedicated and educated fashionphile has assumed that the brand and its namesake are Asian and that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. You’ll have to read the book to find out its roots.

It is also extremely interesting that the company is not only known for its prints, color combinations, and home furnishings, but also for its contribution to the fashion world of the ’60s and ’70s with a massive revival still continuing. Some prints have a “Warholian” feel to them while others are just these amazingly kaleidoscopic or deceptively simple prints that make the brand as successful as it is.

An amazing tidbit is that while John F. Kennedy was running for president, Jackie bought eight of the brand’s dresses and wore them during their cross-country presidential campaign. If one wanted to say that an “endorsement” of that ilk was money in the bank or worth a million dollars, that would be downplaying the style power that was part of Jackie Kennedy and put Marimekko on the fashion mavens’ map.

The book is lush in photographs as well as with the history of the brand, which happens to include a large variety of home furnishings as well as their collaborations and company history. Let’s say it is visually enlightening given the photographs and text, which speak to the brand’s timelessness. You’ll certainly find something that catches your attention whether it be a print, a coloration, a piece of furniture, or just how this company has enjoyed a kind of popularity that few in any business can claim.

There aren’t many books of this genre that a reader can say will make you smile but Marimekko: The Art of Printmaking offers that, whether it be a jarred memory or something you have never seen before. We need to smile so Marimekko: The Art of Printmaking moves up toward the top of the list.