In an SS26 collection best described as fresh and cheerful, Marimekko’s signature florals took a back seat to an array of youthful, candy-hued stripes that dominated the runway
Anyone who’s familiar with Marimekko knows that at the heart of the historic Finnish design house are its vibrant, bold prints. And with an archive boasting over 3,500 patterns, there’s plenty to reimagine and revisit, as has become central to many of the brand’s collections.
For its spring/summer ‘26 offering, entitled ‘Art of Pattern’, Marimekko zeroes in on the craftsmanship that defines its beloved prints via multiple perspectives, from colour and pattern to people. “Printmaking has been part of our brand since the very beginning, when Marimekko’s founder Armi Ratia invited artists to create bold and colorful works of art that were then applied to fabrics and dresses Today, our HQ and our textile printing factory are still under the same roof, which is very special for a design brand, and we wanted to celebrate that,” explains creative director Rebekka Bay.
Staged outside a former industrial site nestled in the Copenhagen harbour, the gritty setting provided a contrasting backdrop to the zesty SS26 collection, permeated with delicate pastels paired with saturated paintbox brights and crisp whites. Harking back to Marimekko’s heart and home in Helsinki, tunes dreamt up from real sounds recorded at the printing factory accompanied the models as they sauntered down the runway – with one pulling out a Palestinian flag, a moment that drew applause from the crowd.
While florals, a recurring Marimekko signature, feature heavily in the SS26 line-up, from Maija Isola’s iconic ‘Unikko’ rendered in billowing A-line dresses and sturdy denim co-ord sets, to Erja Hirvi’s ‘Kukasta Kukkaan’ splashed across everything from mini skirts to slinky maxi frocks, it was the stripes – thick, thin, and diagonal – that stole the spotlight this season.
The structured ‘Jokapoika’ shirt, cut from heavy cotton and featuring Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi’s thin, vertical ‘Piccolo’ stripe – a certified Marimekko classic – returns in its original silhouette, as well as in a blown-up iteration adorning playful minidresses and matching shirt-and-skirt combos. Another of Isola’s creations, the diagonal ‘Basso’ pattern, sliced through flouncy, candy-hued tops and tailored shorts. Elsewhere, preppy polo shirts bearing Annika Rimala’s ‘Raita’ stripe, also scaled up, were elongated into dresses sure to be snapped up by Marimekko’s younger clientele come next spring.
See all the looks from Marimekko's SS26 collection below.
