Marimekko initiates design contest marking Finland’s 100th anniversary

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence in 2017, Finnish home textiles retailer Marimekko is organising a competition titled 'Marimekko Designathon' for the new generation of designers.

Marimekko seeks to encourage these creators to look for new innovative ideas, challenging the conventions of the traditional textile and apparel industry.

The Marimekko Designathon will be held as a hackathon at Marimekko’s headquarters in Helsinki in September 2017, and a jury composed of international experts will select the best ideas.

“With the Marimekko Designathon competition, we want to invite younger generation creators to challenge the traditional conventions of our industry and develop fresh and unprecedented ideas,” said the CEO of Marimekko, Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko.

“The project brings together trailblazing Finnish design and technology in a new way, and we can’t wait to see what innovative solutions, new beginnings, might come out of the collaboration.”