Colour and Joie De Vivre – 60 Years of Timeless Beauty for Everyday Life
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YEARBOOK 2011 2011 1 Colour and joie de vivre – 60 years of timeless beauty for everyday life Marimekko is a Finnish textile and acquired over decades, with its values has been done with accompanying joy clothing design company. The core of and legends, is an inexhaustible trea- and occasionally a little sadness. Always its business is the design and manufac- sure from which it is good to draw cour- together. ture of timeless and individual, practi- age and the strength for renewal, even Marimekko celebrated its 60th anni- cal and beautiful consumer goods. The today. The meaning of Marimekko de- versary with a variety of events in Fin- array of Marimekko design embraces sign is to create aesthetic experiences land and the company’s main markets household products ranging from fur- for every moment in life. abroad. Thank you to all Marimekko’s nishing fabrics to tableware as well as In 2011, 60 rich years of life with beloved and faithful friends around the clothing, bags and other accessories for Marimekko were behind us. Those world for the rewarding path we have people of all ages. years have seen increasingly astonish- walked together. The journey contin- When Marimekko was founded in ing turns, stories engendered by strong ues towards new shared experiences, 1951, the unparalleled patterns and and colourful personalities, breathtak- thousands and yet thousands more of colours of its printed fabrics gave it a ing dreams – fulfilled or not – successes them… strong and unique identity. A heritage and near misses. A great deal of work CONTENTS 1 ....................... Marimekko 60 years! © Marimekko 2 ....................... From the CEO Corporation, Puusepänkatu 4, 00880 Helsinki, 4 ....................... Our values Finland Tel. +358 9 75 871 6 ....................... Design for everyday life info@marimekko.fi www.marimekko.com 10 .....................Highlights of 2011 Cover: Helsinki- 14 .....................Vision, goals and strategy Helsingfors pattern designed by Per-Olof 16 .....................2011 in figures Nyström to celebrate the Helsinki 1952 20 .....................Responsibility at Marimekko Summer Olympics. The print was put back into produc- 28 ..................... Personnel tion for 2012 when Helsinki is at the heart 30 ..................... Stakeholder groups of international design debate. 32 ..................... Marimekko Village Image by Kati Rapia. 2 FROM THE CEO YEARBOOK From left: Lynn Shanahan (Mari mekko North America, President), Mika Ihamuotila (President and CEO) and Minna Kemell- Kutvonen (Creative Director) celebrating the opening of the flagship store in New York. From the CEO “Marimekko makes the world a little better by encouraging people to be themselves and to find beauty in a perfectly ordinary weekday.” Marimekko celebrated its 60th anni- output capacity of our textile printing East Asia is one of the focus areas versary in 2011. Marimekko’s message factory in Finland, against the prevail- of our international business. In all, about everyday beauty and an unpre- ing trend in our sector. We did this there are now 22 Marimekko stores in tentious attitude to life has carried for several reasons. Printed fabrics are Japan and South Korea, which did real- superbly from decade to decade, and Mari mekko’s soul, and we want them to ly well last year in spite of the fact that I believe that today it is actually more continue to be made in close coopera- retailing in Japan was otherwise close current than ever. We live in a world in tion between design and production. to paralysis due to a variety of reasons. which I feel that people become remote Besides this, the fact that the design- Our sales in the Asia-Pacific region from their real selves and, in the midst ers work near to the place where the grew by a whopping 49%. Encouraged of all the rush, they forget what in the fabrics are printed is enormously useful partly by this trend, this year we will end really matters. We look for happi- in all product development. It is also open the first Marimekko store in China ness in something faraway, although easier to focus on ethical aspects of pro- together with a new partner. The aim you can find it most reliably close by, duction in a plant of our own. These as- is to open a total of 15 stores in China’s in everyday life. Marimekko is usually pects are of increasingly great interest largest cities by the end of 2016. seen in terms of aesthetic and practi- to consumers, so I am convinced that Stimulated by large investments in cal products, but I think Marimekko is maintaining profitable in-house produc- stores, our international sales were up first and foremost about thinking and tion will have a significant impact on by 26% in 2011. In all, the Marimekko attitude. I daresay – even at the risk of the appreciation and attractiveness of Group’s net sales grew by 6%. Our oper- being considered an idealist – that the our brand. ating profit declined, as expected, to more people adopt the Marimekko-style Our network of stores was rein- EUR 3.5 million, mostly due to changes unpretentious attitude to life, the better forced in 2011 by a considerable in the distribution network in line with the world will be. amount relative to our size. In the our distribution strategy, a reduction The theme of our anniversary year course of the year, a total of 17 new, in price-driven promotions, and the was “Why not together?”. We wanted inspirational Marimekko stores were sizable investments we have made in to inspire people to meet each other opened, eight of which were company- internationalisation. and to do things together. I believe that owned. The most important of these was I am optimistic for 2012. We expect much more of this, too, is needed in our own flagship store on Fifth Avenue our net sales to grow strongly and our today’s world. The theme was visible in New York, which achieved success operating profit at least to double. We in the course of the year at events of beyond our expectations. The American have every prospect of success in our the greatest variety around the world, home furnishings retailer Crate and efforts to expand boldly into new areas ranging from exhibitions to discussions. Barrel opened a total of six Marimekko and new cities: we have creative and Enthused by the theme, we arranged, shop-in-shops in its department stores, enthusiastic personnel, an excellent among other events, an ambitious de- including ones in Los Angeles, San product range and store concept, and sign competition aimed at students of Francisco and Chicago. It is our inten- a uniquely attractive brand. Dynamic the world’s leading schools of design, tion to expand the number of company- expansion requires patience of the as well as a unique, close-to-nature owned stores in the United States; in company and its shareholders, but I am fashion show in connection with Tokyo 2012, our target is to open one to three convinced that this will be fruitful for Fashion Week. new stores. In Europe, new stores were Marimekko in the long term. For us, 2011 was a year of sever- opened during 2011 in London, Stock- al very large investments which were holm, Oslo, Copenhagen, and of course important to our future. We tripled the our home country, Finland. Mika Ihamuotila 2011 FROM THE CEO 3 4 OUR VALUES YEARBOOK Our new values guide us in our daily work Leadership at Marimekko is based on shared values, the principles that we hold to be important and in which we believe in our everyday work. We have carefully chosen six basic values which inspire and motivate us, guide our choices and help us to achieve our vision. We set the values in the same way as we do everything else – together. MARIMEKKO SPIRIT to paint with bolder strokes. We at a prerequisite to boldness and crea- Marimekko boldly and directly say what tivity. At Marimekko, we get on with LIVING, NOT PRETENDING we’re thinking, even when our opinions things instead of messing with mere differ. Straight talk achieves much more intentions. There is no point in drawing People should always be them- than is commonly thought. up fine plans if ordinary work is not re- selves, living their own lives and not spected or done properly. The best way playacting for others. We at Mari mekko COMMON SENSE is to get right to work, together. have always sought – and found – the keys to a beautiful everyday life. We Marimekko creates clear products COURAGE, EVEN AT THE RISK OF want to taste the authentic flavour of that do the job rather than complicated FAILURE life, thus finding joy and intensity for and fancy goods. People don’t want to the working day. Once in a while it’s be surrounded by anything unneces- What in the end do you lose if you good to ask if this tastes good or is sary. At Marimekko, we work like the take a step out into something new and there perhaps some off-flavour. Follow- company belonged to all of us. You unknown? At Marimekko you can – and ing fashion and pointless ingratiation need to reach for the heights, but plain should – be bold. Without courage there should be avoided. Usually, you should common sense has to be applied often is no creativity. We accept human fail- just boldly follow your own internal rather than occasionally. Empty wish- ures. It helps to be brave if you don’t beacon. ful thinking should not be cultivated at take things too seriously – and espe- work – or in life. cially not yourself. We develop Mari- FAIRNESS TO EVERYONE AND mekko with a long-term view, because EVERYTHING GETTING THINGS DONE – TOGETHER we want to build something unique and meaningful, even if we have to pay for We at Marimekko are always fair It’s always much nicer to be togeth- it in the short term.