Fashion

Marimekko – AW25

By Linnéa Pesonen

For autumn/winter '25, Marimekko's signature cheerful prints took on a moodier approach

Ever since legendary textile designer Maija Isola rebelled against Marimekko’s founder Armi Ratia – who had banned bloom motifs – and created a series of punchy prints for the Finnish design house dubbed ‘Forbidden Florals, including the now-iconic, 1964-created ‘Unikko’, Marimekko’s brand identity has been deeply rooted in flowers.

As Unikko’s jubilant 60th-anniversary celebrations wrapped up last year, Marimekko has stepped into 2025 with a new, overarching conceptual theme, ‘Anatomy of a Flower’, which plucks and spotlights some of the label’s lesser-known prints from the archives. Today, we got a peek of what’s ahead, as Marimekko unveiled its autumn/winter ‘25 collection, presented at the protected Vilhelm Lauritzen terminal at Copenhagen airport. Designed by renowned functionalist architect Vilhelm Lauritzen in the 1930s, it remains a prime example of Danish modernist architecture. The streamlined, dimly-lit space proved an apt choice, allowing the clothes to command attention, while music collective Hess Is More lent bouncy beats for the models to strut down the runway.

“In this collection, we explore the dialogue between light and dark with colour bringing an interjection of joy,” explains Rebekka Bay, the creative director of Marimekko. “The collection plays with the idea of dualism where monochromatic tones and patterns of darkening winter nights meet with exuberant colours of a celebration.”

The ‘Anatomy of a Flower’ sees the brand journey through the natural cycle of blossoms – from budding spring sprouts to a summer bursting into full bloom. In AW25, withering cold-weather flowers take centre stage, reinterpreting Marimekko’s hallmark cheerful prints through a moodier lens. As the show commenced, an array of styles cloaked in black and grey were sent down the runway before flecks of colour emerged – like the ‘Unikko’ in a feisty fire-engine-red-and-beige combo, and another stand-out by Maija Isola, ‘Tumma’, in zesty scarlet and pink.

This season, Marimekko doubles down on its signature A-line silhouette, appearing on dresses, shirts and skirts. Bay notes a particular focus on integrating more mini-lengths for AW25, while other youthful looks boasted oversized bouclé and mouliné bomber jackets and slouchy Maridenim. One of the collection’s highlights came by way of the new pleated styles, adding a touch of flounce for printed long-sleeve frocks and midi skirts.

“It can be very tempting to save bright colours for bright and sunny days, but in this collection, we want to show how light and dark can work together to create unexpected combinations and happy contradictions,” Bay says. We also highlight how prints work beautifully in
monochromatic tones as well – wearing prints does not necessarily mean wearing bold colour.”

See all the looks from Marimekko's autumn/winter '25 collection below: