Marimekko Celebrates 60 Years

Finnish design house Marimekko celebrated their 60th anniversary this year with crowdsourced exhibit in Milan, Italy: A WHOLE LIFE 60 Years of Colours, Stripes and Shapes. The design house invited more than 34,000 of their Facebook fans to demonstrated what their creativity using the brand's patterns and fabrics. The best ideas were published on the Marimekko site, and the most exciting submissions were invited to the Helsinki Headquarters to participate in a design workshop. The final pieces from the workshop were showcased in a show at the Jannelli & Volpi's store in Milan.   

Founder Armi Rata had the following to say:

"I always wanted to gather people to get them to know each other, enrich their experience and take advantage from this knowledge."

The use of crowdsourcing not only allowed the brand to interact with its fan base, but created a community around its designs and a platform to curate and tell the brand's story. This type of interaction is priceless in today's world. Authentic yet very tangible communication is the best way to build your brand and sustain it.


If you are feeling crafty, check out their book based on the 60th anniversary workshops. It will teach you how to make your own Marimekko. Enjoy!