Established in 1873, The Design Museum in Helsinki, Finland, highlights Finnish industrial, graphic and fashion design.
The museum’s permanent exhibit Utopia Now – The Story of Finnish Design, features information about Annika Rimala (1936-2014) one of Finland’s most well-known textile designers, who designed what she liked. Known for her bold use of color and large patterns, Rimala was influenced by youth culture and admired loose-fitting American sweatshirts and sweatpants. She is known for designing Finnish design house Marimekko’s iconic Tasaraita garments, preferring comfort to appearance. In the exhibited dress Monrepos, for example, the inseam gussets and rounded hem allow for freer movement. The name of the garments and fabrics were also important to Rimila. Who wouldn’t want to be dressed up in a Love Letter (Rakkauskirje)?
Trained as a graphic designer, Rimala was a retail manager in the children’s department for Marimekko when she was offered the position of fashion designer. Her lack of professional fashion training did not hamper her and instead allowed her to focus on what she personally liked and that was durable, practical clothing with bright patterns and an idea of equality. Rimala’s construction is known for its lack of darts and other unnecessary seams.
Information resources for Marimekko:
Marimekko: the Art of Printmaking by Laird Borrelli-Persson (2021)
In patterns: Marimekko by Marimekko (2014)
Marimekko: Fabrics, fashion, architecture by Marianne Aav (2003)
Marimekko collection, 1951-1979, Smithsonian Archives and Libraries.
In addition to the permanent exhibit, two temporary exhibits are currently on show that will be of interest to fashion, textile and costume studies students and information specialists: Sustainable Colour, focuses on the textile dyeing processes and the need for sustainable practice, and Intimacy, which explores “the intersection of novel politicization and digital disruption of fashion.”
The museum website has made many objects from its collection available digitally and has a rich collection of past and present exhibits online. The museum, currently located in Helsinki Design District, is scheduled to be combined with Museum of Finnish Architecture at a new purpose-built location in 2025.
Header image: The Art of Print and Shape (2021), Design Museum, Helsinki. Photo by A.M. LaVey
Fashion, Textile & Costume Librarians 