YEARBOOK 2012 1 Colour and joy to the world Marimekko is a Finnish textile and clothing design company. The core of its business is the design and manufacture of timeless and individual, CONTENTS practical and beautiful consumer goods. The array of Marimekko design 1 embraces household products ranging Colour and joy from furnishing fabrics to tableware to the world as well as clothing, bags and other accessories for people of all ages. 2 When Marimekko was founded in From the President 1951, the unparalleled patterns and and CEO colours of its printed fabrics gave it a strong and unique identity. A heritage 4 acquired over decades, with its values Armi Ratia and legends, is an inexhaustible 100th birthday treasure from which it is good to draw courage and the strength for 6 renewal, even today. The meaning of The origins of Oiva Marimekko design is to create aesthetic experiences for every moment in life. 8 For Marimekko, 2012 was filled Building a clothing with many unforgettable moments collection with new and old friends. The strongest impression left by the year is one of 10 rapid internationalisation. In the United A Normi for States, the company-owned store all seasons network expanded to the West Coast, and the public at the New York Fashion 12 Week were able to see Marimekko 2012 in figures for the first time in a striking and joyful show. China’s first Marimekko 16 store opened in Hong Kong, and in Highlights of 2012 Shanghai Marimekko provided colourful experiences both in a display at the 22 Museum of Contemporary Art and by Vision, goals holding a fashion show in the People’s and strategy Park. In Japan, expansion continued with the opening of two stores, and 24 in Australia Marimekko opened two Responsibility company-owned stores as it did in at Marimekko Sweden. And back home in Finland, there was dancing in the park, stores 32 were opened, and all in all a rich Personnel © Marimekko Marimekko life was lived. Corporation None of this would have been 34 Puusepänkatu 4 possible without Marimekko’s dear Stakeholders 00880 Helsinki and faithful friends around the world Finland Tel. +358 9 75 871 – so thanks once again for a wonderful 36 [email protected] year together! Marimekko Village www.marimekko.com 2 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greeting Marimekko employees on a visit to Marimekko in summer 2012. From the CEO I see Marimekko first and foremost as a positive and genuine attitude to life, one which shines out of each of our products, our stores and all our employees. In June 2012, US Secretary of agreement we signed in January is to in the United States was then extended State Hillary Clinton suggested a new open a total of 15 Marimekko stores in to Finland. In Sweden, we continued to slogan to us on her visit to our factory China by the end of 2016. Our partner underpin our store network by opening in Helsinki: Marimekko – Breathe opened the first store in Hong Kong in company-owned stores in Stockholm Happiness. I think there is no better May, and this immediately received an and Gothenburg. way to crystallise Marimekko’s core excellent welcome. In order to build Our net sales were up last year by message, as I believe Marimekko is first our profile also in mainland China and 14% on the previous year. International and foremost a positive and genuine to lay the foundation for future store sales grew due to new store openings attitude to life, one which shines out of openings, we held what was reportedly by 31%, and brand sales of Marimekko each of our products, our stores and all the first fashion show ever arranged products rose to 187 million euros. our employees. in Shanghai People’s Park. The unique However, contrary to our expectations, The happiness that Marimekko outdoor show was a collaboration our operating result deteriorated. stands for can be breathed around between us and the famous Chinese Exceptionally large investments the world. We are known above all for dance troupe Jin Xing Dance Theatre. in internationalisation and in the our design based on original patterns At the same time, there was also expansion of our own store network and colours, whose distinctiveness an extensive, two-part exhibition ate into our profitability, but I am offers great prospects for competitive of Marimekko and other Finnish absolutely convinced that Marimekko and profitable retailing. In our main design at the Shanghai Museum of is on the right track to becoming one market areas – Northern Europe, North Contemporary Art. of the world’s most fascinating design America and the Asia-Pacific region In the United States, we firms. We must just be patient as we – our strategy includes expanding concentrated on expanding the make our company even stronger and the distribution network by opening network of our company-owned stores, more profitable, while paying particular conceptually harmonised Marimekko encouraged by the New York flagship attention to our operational efficiency, stores, owned either by retailers or store’s success following its opening in especially in today’s market conditions. ourselves. In 2012, a total of 19 new the previous year. In 2012, we opened In 2012, the majority of Marimekko stores were opened in four new stores: in Boston, Palo Alto Marimekko’s personnel also became different markets. I believe that, by in Silicon Valley, Beverly Hills in Los shareholders in the company after increasing the attractiveness and Angeles, and Manchester, Vermont. we held a targeted issue of shares pricing power of our company with In order to support our stores, for the for the employees. The great interest the help of a strong network of stores first time in our history we attended in the shares indicates to me that and bold brand building, we will get the New York Fashion Week in the Marimekko’s people have firm faith what we think are the best department autumn. Our intriguingly colourful in their employer, and I intend to do stores and other retailers interested in spring collection, showcased by models all I can to make their investment us and our products. of various ages, attracted a great deal profitable. Marimekko has totally In the Asia-Pacific region, our of praise from an audience composed exceptional employees and a corporate business continued to take an excellent of industry insiders and media culture that combines creativity with a trend in 2012. Sales grew rapidly, representatives. We expect that these sense of profit-making. By relying on particularly in Japan, where we have moves will also open doors to major our common values, the Marimekko already achieved a very solid position. department stores in North America spirit, we work together in an honest There are in all 23 Marimekko stores for us. Already this year, several new atmosphere, happily and sensibly. in Japan, the two most recent of which Marimekko shop-in-shops are opening We also believe in boldness, even at were opened in Tokyo in September. in Canada and Mexico. the risk of failure. This principle was In Australia, we took an important In our home market of Finland, a undoubtedly followed even by the step forward with the opening of a total of seven Marimekko stores were founder of our company, the legendary flagship store in Sydney and another opened in 2012. One of these was a Armi Ratia, the centenary of whose company-owned store in Melbourne. company-owned fashion store in a birth was marked in 2012. A totally new market for us opened superb location in Helsinki city centre. up in China. The aim of a partnership Also, the online store we launched first Mika Ihamuotila PHOTO: KAApo KAmu toimitusjohtajalta 3 4 Armi Ratia 100th birthday EARLY YEARS Marimekko. She joined Printex, her husband’s wax and print fabric Armi Ratia was born on 13 July company, and she started buying 1912 in Pälkjärvi, Karelia, where her exceptionally colourful and bold father Matti Airaksinen owned a small patterns for the company. Marimekko grocery store. Her mother, Hilma, was founded two years later, when worked as a grade school teacher. Later Armi and Viljo began making clothes on, the family moved to the village of from Printex’s unique print fabrics. For Koivisto on the Gulf of Finland. Armi a nation struggling with shortages and went to school in Joensuu and Vyborg, drabness, Marimekko was a welcome the biggest city in Karelia. She never source of colour and joy. completed her final year of high school as the allure of Helsinki’s premiere art MARIMEKKO school, the Central School of Applied Arts, proved too great. Her decision to Armi Ratia was a textile artist, move to Helsinki may also have been managing director, creative director, influenced by her new-found love for wizard of words, publicity guru, Viljo Ratia, who she had met in her visionary, maternal figure, and home village Koivisto. Viljo was a wellspring of inspiration. She had an student at Kadettikoulu, a prestigious incredible ability to decipher the mood officer candidate school in Helsinki, of the times and sense future trends. and the son of sea captain Anton Ratia. She also had a genius for recognising In Helsinki, Armi financed her studies talent and finding ways to realise even by writing love stories for magazines. the wildest, most imaginative ideas. In 1935, Armi graduated as a Armi could see the extraordinary in textile designer and married Viljo in the ordinary. Koivisto. The young couple settled Even today, Marimekko’s success down in Vyborg, where Armi started owes much to Armi’s ideas.