Design house Marimekko's bright, clashable prints have been splashed across coffee mugs, bedding, wallcoverings, and slipcovers for Ikea furniture. Today, the Finnish company launches a limited-edition womenswear collection with Banana Republic.
Marimekko has been making clothing for decades; they held their first fashion show in 1951. Jackie Kennedy was a fan. Like the company's vibrant housewares, the Banana Republic collection is not for the sartorially timid.
The clothing brand has collaborated on collections in the past, including fellow pattern-lover Trina Turk as well as the late L'Wren Scott. This collaboration with Marimekko focuses on the prints; the actual clothing shapes are characteristically Banana Republic.
The collection features five of Marimekko's prints by three designers. Maija Louekari designed the most colorful print in the bunch, Siirtolapuutarha, as well as the woven-rug inspired Räsymatto. Maija Isola, who has designed more than 500 prints, built her 1956 Kivet print with scissor-cut circles, and her 1960 Tamara print is inspired by East European folk art. Aino-Maija Metsola's Jurmo stems from the island that bears its name.
