There is very little light in Finland’s long, dark winter. But we know how to cheer ourselves up; running through the snow back to the warmth of the smoke sauna, lighting storm lamps on a windy night, jumping into the black water for an ice swim, eyes shut and screaming with delight. Kindling a fire in the grate, wrapping up in the warm and sinking into a good book. Enjoying the little big things, memories of summer in the depths of winter, colours hidden in the dark, and nature, which still lives under the black and white. We know how to take colours and breathe life into them. – Marimekko

I am a long-standing advocate of gobs of color and uncanny hues in a garment. Not surprising, therefore, that the playful palettes (lilac & mustard, salmon & dark cerulean, peat & black) in Samu-Jussi Koski’s Fall/Winter ‘09 collection for Marimekko give him instant brownie points in my book. Back with one of his first collections for Marimekko in spring ‘05 (elegant shifts and ruffled skirts in teal, aubergine, and bright orange using Maija Isola’s Silmikko pattern) it was clear that Koski’s dance with color was a perfect fit for the Finnish design house. It also seems natural that a designer who pulls his inspiration from simple, quotidian, and slightly nostalgic moments (old photographs, jazz, cigarette smoke) would so seamlessly integrate the philosophy of dreams, contradictions, and everyday life behind Marimekko’s Autumn/Winter 09/10 line:

Of the whole collection – from the flexible basics like the Edna shirt to the rich, blue cocoon Nitya jacket – I can’t stop fawning over the Petra Dress (shown above) in which Koski refreshes Maija Isola’s 1965 Pergola pattern with the help of Maija’s daughter Kristina Isola (clearly the omena doesn’t fall far from the tree) – creating very current colorways that maintain the timeless spirit of a Mari girl, here described by Finnish woman’s magazine Anna in 1965:

“A sophisticated young woman, sexy, self-assured, with an interesting face, but not beautiful as such – a well-groomed, ageless woman who enjoys life and is surrounded by an atmosphere of vitality, a woman who refuses to be bored.”

Where to buy:

Find a Marimekko near you : Store Locator
Online : Finnish Design Shop

Fashion Scout » Marimekko Pt 1.

Found @ Etsy » Innards for Sale