Maija Isola

DESIGN EXPLORATIONS II

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Maija Isola PRINTED TEXTILES DESIGNER / POST MODERNIST Maija Isola was a versatile and bold designer. She was not only capable of leading the popluarity but to think ahead creating the design for the future. “Her artful ideas came from traditional folk art, nature, and from her various inspirational trips around the world�

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She was a designer who needed nothing except her own little free spot with her flowers, her various painting and drawing tools and newsprint which were everywhere, Maija Isola was filled with endless creative ideas and her talents have great influence on modern arts.

Biography 1927, Maija Isola was born in Riihimaki, Finland. She studied arts and painting at the Helsinki Central School of Industrial Arts from 1946 to 1949. Printex hired her as a textile designer in 1949. From 1951, she designed for another Finnish textile company, Marimekko. In 1959 when she became popular in many countries, she started selling her fabrics. She worked in Marimekoo with her daughter between 1980 and 1987. Since 1987, Maija worked on painting only, not textiles, until her death in 2001.

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Career Famous for one of the most important and talent textile designer to have existed at Marimekko, Maija Isola created a collection of 500 prints for Marimekko over 40 years including the retro poppy flower print, ‘Unikko’, which is tightly connected to the Marimekko brand.

Maija Isola was the first designer to be hired by Finnish textile and clothing design powerhouse Marimekko after her work caught the eye of Marimekko co-founder Armi Ratia at a textile print competition.

The height of her career occurred during the 1960’s, right around the time when she created her representative Unikko pattern. In addition, during this time her designs were spreaded outside Europe, even the First Lady of the United States, Jacqueline Kennedy was a fan of Unikko.

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The Unikko was born in 1964. At the beginning, Armi Ratia specifically banned her designers from using floral pattern, because she believed in deep that flowers were a cliché in fashion. She said that flowers should only bloom in nature.

Maija Isola who was always the rebellious one refused to obey Armi’s orders and, in protest, created a series of eight petal-filled patterns. Unikko was one of them, which was based on her yard’s poppies.

When Ratia saw Unikko, “she couldn’t say no,” says Minna Kemell-Kutvonen, Marimekko’s current design director of prints. “It was so strong. It captured so powerfully the atmosphere in Europe in the early 1960s. It had a feeling of pop art. It was radical.”

Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko, of Marimekko, said: "Armi had said publicly that she didn't want any flowers, but Maija refused to accept her decision and designed a whole range of floral patterns which were so gorgeous and distinctive that Armi bought eight straight away."

Unikko came out in 1964, againisting Ratia’s statement and bringing in a new era for Marimekko.

Armi Ratia

Vuokko Nurmesniemi

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Kristina Isola

Unikko When Unikko was current when it was created in 1964. It reflected the emerging optimism of Europe from its postwar bleakness, and presaged the hippie, flower-power movement (poppies are tantamount to a peace sign, after all). But unlike platforms and bell-bottoms of the decade, it doesn’t belie its vintage.

Unikko contains a soul of the ‘60s flower power revolution but showing a totally different face to the world. No wonder Armi Ratla was immediately convinced that the print had a place at Marimekko.

In the last 50 years, Unikko has blossomed in more then eighty unique colour patterns and it has travelled to the far reaches of the world, sometimes, as an expected guest, sometimes as a welcome surprise. Often, it would dicide to stay somewhere for a lifetime after showing up in a short period of time.

“Yet one thing is certain: wherever it goes, Unikko will always be noticed.”

Unikko is iconized as the most recognizable symbol of Marimekko and its popularity has not dwindled over the years. New colorways are created every year, each conveying the mood and spirit of its own time. Her daughter, Kristina Isola, has even created a miniature version of the design.

It’s probably one of the most recognized fabric designs in the world. Huge splashy poppies in a variety of colours adorning umbrellas, bags, tea trays and bedding.

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Kaivo The Kaivo, Arkkitehti series, by Marimekko.

Design for dual purposes: be able to use for small scale interiors as well as large scale commercial interiors.

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Ararat Fabric Triangles in grey and white that is easy to combine with other textiles and interior details

Joonas

ANANAS

KIVET

ISOT KIVET

Unikko Appliances Unikko is capable of decorating almost any kind of surface, which is scalable, colorful and timeless, giving it countless oppotunities to be used as an decorative element.

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Reference 10 Images http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XtDHThw4nRw/UjVk0Ke6WPI/AAAAAAAAASQ/pnUJ__3PdTU/s640/img003.jpg http://kvav4130.wikispaces.com/file/view/maija.png/84369039/maija.png http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a0/Maija_Isola_at_work.jpg/250px-Maija_Isola_at_work.jpg http://www.finnishdesign.com/finnish-designers/maija-isola http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/finnstyle_2271_200169080 http://www.scandinaviandesign.com/designmuseo/0505/index.htm http://www.dwell.com/people/maija-isola http://img.edilportale.com/products/prodotti-54034-rel7259695f-01e6-484e-bfe059c77db1e0e2.jpg http://www.goodnewsfinland.com/Unikko_kuumailmapallo_Marimekko.jpg https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/s306x306/e15/10983690_ 613135172152998_895400201_n.jpg http://monitor.100x100natural.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/BOSTrolleyFWMarimekkonewbury35-13_57478.jpg http://www.scandinaviandesign.com/designmuseo/0505/index.htm https://designhistory2013.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/armiratia_45_7.jpg https://www.marimekko.com/sites/default/files/styles/width_grid-8/public/content_images/photo_40.jpg?itok=deplQm4I https://www.marimekko.com/sites/default/files/styles/width_grid-8/public/content_images/photo_17.jpg?itok=6lb4d1q5 http://www.scandinaviandesigncenter.com/Products/usd0/Trademark/Marimekko/17954/Ararat+fabric http://us.marimekko.com/fabric/joonas-hw-cotton-fabric-019702-001

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Contents http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maija_Isola http://us.marimekko.com/unfold/designers/maija-isola https://www.marimekko.com/marimekko/design/maija-isola http://www.finnishdesign.com/finnish-designers/maija-isola http://belovedlinens.net/textdesign/Maija_isola.html http://www.finnstyle.com/marimekko-maija-isola.html http://www.scandinaviandesign.com/designmuseo/0505/index.htm http://www.scandinaviandesigncenter.com/Designers/usd0/8010 http://www.designsponge.com/2013/11/style-icon-maija-isola.html http://perimeterbooks.com/Maija-Isola-art-fabric-marimekko http://unikko.marimekko.com/stories-intro http://www.finnishdesign.com/finnish-products/unikko-pattern https://www.pinterest.com/marimekkoglobal/marimekko-unikko-50-years/ http://www.dwell.com/people/maija-isola http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/artist/Isola,+Maija http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/decor/marimekkos-unikkopattern-turns-50-why-does-it-still-feel-fresh/article18337690/ http://www.independent.co.uk/property/interiors/the-secret-history-of-marimekko-unikko-fabric-2184168.html http://www.scandinaviandesigncenter.com/Products/usd0/Trademark/Marimekko/17954/Ararat+fabric http://www.finnstyle.com/marimekko-kaivo.html

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Design : Kong