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After World War II there was a strong Finnish design movement that developed and was given greater weight by the International Triennials in 1951 and 1954 as they defined the concept of 'Finnish design'. Through the integration of design into the manufacturing, Marimekko's textiles gained attention throughout the world by identifying an exclusive market response the aesthetic that was very strong in Finnish design.

Marimekko was founded in 1951 by Armi and Viljo Ratia and has built a reputation since then for producing high quality textiles for clothes and home furnishings. This Finland-based firm actually started in 1949, acquiring the Printex-Oy--an oilcloth factory located in Helsinki's suburbs. After refitting, this factory reintroduced the craft-based method of hand silk-screen printing on cotton sheeting.

The procedure, which was known bya nonuniform outcome and recap lines, elicit a human feel to every design. Though building techniques were mechanized years ago, the business stays building hand-crafted value in its printing. Its work of attractive designs and regular fibers further upheld its liability to the Scandinavian empathy for nature.

Under Armi's design direction, the company broke ranks with traditional Finnish textile designers, implementing an array of nonfigurative patterns, using the abstract graphic designs of artistic colleagues. The first collection of simply cut dresses was brought out in Helsinki in 1951 and originated as a promotional strategy for the firm's printed cotton fabrics.

Simple wrap dresses and plain styles that buttoned down the bodice were included, putting the focus squarely on the cloth instead of on the apparel's designs. This line was dubbed Marimekko (or Mary's little pinafore dress). Since that time, the company has licensed various foreign firms from 1968 on in order to extend its merchandise to encompass tablecloths and dinner napkins, bed linens, serving ware, dish ware, glassware, furniture (möbler) and other home furnishings, area rugs, and wallpaper.

By the close of the 1900s, Marimekko had already succeeded in re-establishing itself in the United States. It offered American purchasers popular textiles and interior design (inredning) merchandise (for interiors and exteriors alike), including wallpaper, bedding, area rugs and lots more via a network of licensed firms. While it may not be quite as famous as numerous other fabric companies, its striking and distinctive patterns and characteristic choices of vivid colors are easily recognized and give it a unique identity which is as alive today as it ever was.