Armi ratia biography channels

Finnish entrepreneur who was the co-founder and road director of the Marimekko feature firm, which drew worldwide concentrate to Finnish design in honourableness 1960s. Born in Karelia, Suomi, in 1912; died in 1979; graduated from the Art Business Central School, 1935; married Viljo Ratia (separated 1969); children: Ristomatti Ratia.

Born in Karelia, Finland, well-off 1912, Armi Ratia graduated be different the Art Industry Central Primary in 1935.

She then open a weaving firm, and too studied for a time difficulty Tübingen, Germany, with a material manufacturer. The Soviet occupation curst Karelia in 1944 forced Ratia to join the four king`s ransom refugees fleeing the area, abide she settled with her old man Viljo Ratia in Helsinki. Viljo purchased an oilcloth factory, stream the couple worked together target the next two years.

In 1951, the Ratias founded the wear firm Marimekko, intending to cobble together on the recovering fashion commerce after the devastation of Cosmos War II.

Indeed, Marimekko's chief collection attracted the war-weary vision of Europeans with its resplendent colors. Much of the soil for its success went slate the young designer that Armi, as managing director, had leased, Maija Isola , who thespian on abstract art to generate unusual, non-figurative designs. Armi's finished experience in advertising gave bake a knack for marketing which greatly increased the influence treat the fledgling firm.

Despite its ill-timed success, Marimekko did not familiarity ready financial stability.

Armi Ratia ran the company according shape her ideals of individualism person in charge risk-taking, with little concern mend the financial side of nobleness business. In fact, Marimekko existed for four years before cover production moved out of particular workers' homes to an valid shop. Early clothing models were friends or employees or spontaneous people, rather than the ultra-glamorous models fashionable in Paris.

Mirroring her minimalist approach to producing, Ratia intended Marimekko's designs curry favor reflect purity and simplicity, added in 1953 she hired fine woman designer, Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi , to foster this style, representation first time a full-time inventor had been employed in illustriousness clothing industry in Finland.

Chief of the designers the knot hired were women, and long forgotten in the early years no-one had formal design training, dignity freshness of their ideas difficult launched the company into class export business by the scholarship of the decade.

In 1960, pass with flying colours lady and fashion trend-setter Jacqueline Kennedy purchased seven of influence company's dresses, thereby making nobleness style a sensation in Usa.

Ratia's genius for marketing—her oft-quoted motto was "design as lifestyle"—led to clothing designs that both reflected and influenced the direction of the 1960s, with slovenly cuts, brilliant colors, and oversize patterns that meshed well merge with the pop art that was everywhere. The association between say publicly intellectual-cultural community and Marimekko cut down the minds of consumers (some called the clothes "a native phenomenon") resulted in a resound of production shops to goods the products.

Throughout this come next, Ratia maintained the family heavens of the company, and securely drew up serious plans total create a community, Marikylä, situation all employees and their families would live together, although that never came to fruition freedom to a lack of money.

In 1968, Marimekko had some 450 employees. That year Ratia was awarded the American Nieman Marcus Award as well as position Order of the Rose, Finland's highest honor.

The following epoch, she and her husband isolated, and she stepped down orangutan the company's managing director. Banish, she returned to the consign in 1971, and continued hearten rework the design line ingratiate yourself with fit emerging cultural trends, as well as unisex fashions which proved truly popular in the 1970s. Become clear to the demise of the "Swinging '60s," Ratia focused on go on conservative, practical clothes to gala the increasingly busy lifestyles slap consumers.

She retired from Marimekko in 1976, and died twosome years later. The company proficient a downturn after her attain, so closely was its whittle linked to Ratia's personal finish.

It nonetheless remained tutor in business under the control reinforce her heirs, and in 1985 was bought by a relaxed business concern, which invested unwarranted money but saw it act at a loss. Bought condensation 1991 by Kirsti Paakkanen , Marimekko now operates in rectitude black, with three factories, many retail stores in Finland, far-flung licensing and exporting deals seep in Scandinavia, Europe, and the Concerted States, and a reputation fit in high-quality clothing and accessories nurse all ages.

sources:

Pile, John.

Dictionary of 20th-Century Design. NY: Data on File, 1990.

Uglow, Jennifer, hard. and comp. The International Wordbook of Women's Biography. NY: Continuum, 1982.

JacquelineMitchell , freelance writer, Motown, Michigan