The new creative director at the iconic Finnish fashion label Marimekko has promised to update the brand's output with a wider variety of designs and materials used in its products.
Swedish-born Anna Teurnell told Yle she has been a fan of Marimekko, known for its quirky textile prints and traditional Finnish design pieces, since she was a child. The incoming creative director says she will attempt to make the label more relevant with new materials, patterns and clothing ranges.
The 47-year-old graduate of Stockholm’s Beckmans College of Design took over responsibility for Marimekko’s fashion, accessories and housewares design strategies in mid-July, and will also sit on the board. She has in the past worked for high-street fashion giant H&M, and most recently as design director at H&M’s women’s fashion subsidiary & Other Stories.
Teurnell joins a company that has suffered a wave of negative publicity following accusations of sweatshop conditions at its factories abroad, and a string of plagiarism accusations.
Last year claims emerged that a pattern known as Grandfather's Garden created by Teresa Moorhouse for Marimekko had been lifted from work of British illustrator Pat Hutchens in the 1968 picture book Rosie’s Walk. Marimekko denied that the strikingly similar designs constituted plagiarism.
The controversy followed on the heels of an earlier plagiarism scandal, when long-time Marimekko designer Kristina Isola admitted to having copied the work of Ukrainian folk artist Maria Primachenko for her design Forest Dwellers. The company subsequently announced it was suspending co-operation with Isola.
Earlier this year Marimekko held negotiations with workers in Finland and the US over plans to cut 65 jobs as part of a drive to make 2.5 million euros’ worth of annual savings. Meanwhile the company is planning to focus on international expansion, with several new outlets due to open in the coming years, particularly in Asia.