If you’re familiar with Marimekko, then you’re probably already familiar with the brand’s bold graphic poppy print, appropriately called Unikko – the word for “poppy” in Finnish. Originally designed by brand designer Maija Isola, it has now become synonymous with Marimekko’s design language and is recognized worldwide. The celebrations for 60th anniversary next year’s iconic print had already begun at last year’s Copenhagen Fashion Week, where the label continued its tradition of hosting fashion shows open to the public. Here, the Unikko print was plastered head-to-toe on sets, sundresses and palazzo pants, often magnified in bright pinks, greens and blues.
However, Marimekko hasn’t just been celebrating Unikko lately. Founded in 1951, the Finnish brand has been on a growth path in recent years, trying to capitalize on the demand for Scandinavian design. Currently, the Company views Northern Europe, North America and Asia Pacific as its primary markets, with Asia in particular viewed as a key geographic area for international growth. During the current strategic period from 2023 to 2027, Marimekko will focus a large part of its expansion plans on this region. The company has already announced that it will be in the fall Singapore,Vietnam and Malaysia to gain a foothold.
Build local relevance in new geographical areas
In an interview with FashionUnited, Marimekko CEO Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko explains the decision to focus on Asia: “The growing market, the strong brand connection and the proven track record of the loose franchise partnership model offer us a good basis for omnichannel growth in to accelerate Asia. We approach markets through key cities and are focused on securing growth in the company’s existing markets and, in the longer term, developing new markets in Asia. We recently announced that we want to expand to Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia with our loose franchise partners in the fall. These fast-growing markets offer exciting opportunities for Marimekko’s international growth, thereby supporting our company’s goal of growing Marimekko’s business in the coming years.”
In a departure from the usual approach to stores in other parts of the world, the central part of Marimekko’s retail network in Asia, both physical and digital, is linked to a loose franchise model owned by partners. According to Alahuhta-Kasko, this allows the company to work with partners who have local market and customer know-how as well as local connections. Engaging members of a third party company to carry out such activities does not relieve the need to ensure that the brand is translated in a globally coherent manner while remaining relevant at a local level.
“The overall brand expression is consistent across all markets and we create local relevance by ensuring our products meet the needs of local customers and our marketing communications resonate with them. We work closely with our partners and local teams to gain deep insights into local customer preferences. While global brand collaborations give us great visibility and increase our brand awareness around the world, targeted local brand collaborations, along with growing awareness, enable us to build local relevance,” explains Alahuhta-Kasko.
To mark this new growth path, Marimekko began introducing a renewed retail concept, which was launched late last year in its New York business was presented. The “dynamic” concept was developed with the idea of offering a modular space that offers an evolving experience with different seasonal themes. The design was directly inspired by the architecture of the Marimekko textile printing factory in Helsinki. “A few years ago, we at Marimekko set out to modernize our brand and collections, always staying true to our original brand DNA, but wanting to make it even more relevant to our growing global community of customers. Now it was time for us to reflect this modernized creative vision in our new stores,” says Alahuhta-Kasko about the process.
New store concept reflects “modernized creative vision.”
The “constantly evolving” concept will also be used at other locations. While it most recently debuted at the brand’s completely redesigned Stockholm flagship store, which opened earlier this month, it will also be the focus of Marimekko’s new flagship store, opening in Copenhagen this fall. Similar to the New York store, the fixed displays are replaced by carefully selected modular structures that include furniture from different decades and different materials. These conscious factors are part of Marimekko’s response to changing consumer tastes, as Alahuhta-Kasko continues: “We believe that in today’s digitalized world, brands need to offer a meaningful reason for customers to visit physical stores to visit; a sense of inspiring, ever-evolving adventure, and the role of personal service has further strengthened.”
This sense of intentionality is also evident in Marimekko’s approach to the entire design process, which is based in large part on the brand’s sustainability principles and commitments. Beyond production, the company has followed three guiding principles to integrate sustainable transformation into each of its teams. While the business development, transformation function and sustainability experts are responsible for implementing such a program for the company’s own operations and value chain, Marimekko Innovation Works, an internal innovation function, together with the brand’s partners, is responsible for the development, Responsible for promoting and testing innovative materials, dyes and technologies. A further emphasis on the circular economy can also be found in Marimekko Pre-Loveda peer-to-peer resale service launched in August 2022 that allows customers to buy and sell used goods.
Despite the commitments made, many of which have already been implemented, Alahuhta-Kasko admits that there are still obstacles to implementing such practices. “Sustainability is the biggest challenge for the entire global fashion and textile industry and one of the strongest megatrends changing the industry. The preference for more sustainable choices is growing among both consumers and other interest groups. We are convinced that in the future timeless and long-lasting products will be manufactured in harmony with the environment, according to the principles of the circular economy and with a transparent supply chain. “Realizing this ambitious vision requires multidisciplinary and long-term development work from year to year, but also the continuous promotion of innovations in technologies, materials and business models in collaboration with our various partners,” says Alahuta-Kasko.
Telling stories in a time of uncertainty
In the long term, the company aims to achieve annual sales growth of 15 percent, with a comparable profit margin of 20 percent. His Financial forecast for 2023 also predicts a growth in net sales compared to the previous year’s value of 166.5 million euros. Marimekko offers three product lines: fashion, bags and accessories and home, of which the first two increased their share of net sales in the first half of 2023. “We see Marimekko’s lifestyle concept, which offers products in various price ranges in the areas of fashion, bags and accessories as well as living, as an advantage that enables us to also serve the more price-sensitive consumers,” explains Alahuta-Kasko .
“We are constantly closely monitoring the general economic situation and the development of consumer confidence and purchasing power as well as the effects of various exceptional situations and will adapt our measures and plans according to the circumstances. We believe that the best recipe, even in an uncertain climate, is a strong, desirable brand coupled with commercial excellence,” she adds.
Marimekko’s ambitions reflect consumers’ increasing interest in brands that are considered cultural assets. Although the need for innovation is closely linked to this factor, storytelling prevails at a time when consumers are constraining their budgets. With this in mind, Alahuhta-Kasko remains optimistic about the future of the brand and the upcoming Unikko anniversary. “Unikko is not only Marimekko’s most famous motif, but also perhaps one of the most famous print motifs in the world. Unikko is a symbol of joy and creativity and over the years has become synonymous with Marimekko’s design language. The year 2024 will be filled with Unikko anniversary celebrations in our collections and around the world,” she concludes.
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk. Translated and edited by Simone Preuss.