Maija Isola: a wanderer and an experimenter behind Marimekko’s beloved Unikko print
Maija Isola (1927–2001) was a versatile designer who dared to paint patterns with bold brush strokes. She excelled in both a free-flowing style and simple geometric designs. Isola designed many popular prints for Marimekko that remain part of its collection to this day, including the iconic Unikko print.
Maija Isola’s Unikko print has appeared in Finnish homes and clothing for decades. Introduced in 1964, it is Isola’s best-known and most widespread printed fabric design. She created it despite the fact that Marimekko’s founder Armi Ratia had banned floral prints at the company.
This prolific artist designed many more as well: in total, about five hundred patterns during the 38 years she spent designing printed fabrics for Marimekko.
Isola designed her first prints in 1949 for Printex Oy, the predecessor of Marimekko. Much of her career was spent as Marimekko’s principal textile designer, and she also worked as a freelance visual artist. She left a strong imprint on the entire Marimekko brand.
By nature, Maija Isola was a wanderer and an experimenter. Young and nearly penniless, she set off to travel the post-war Europe. Even later in life, travelling was a way for her to find new ideas, and she drew inspiration from emerging trends in modern art, among other things.
For her prints, Isola drew inspiration from folk art, modern visual art, nature, and her travels around the world.
Among Maija Isola’s most well-known prints are her bold, eye-catching 1960s designs. She designed them by painting with a large brush on a huge sheet of paper laid out on the printing table, often at night. The result was a straightforward pattern, defined by the rhythm of relaxed brushstrokes.
Her body of work also includes delicate plant and animal motifs, as well as crisp, geometric compositions. Her strength was her ability to refine ideas into simple patterns, the most striking example of which is the Muija print, built on just a few dots arranged in a pattern.
Maija Isola was married and divorced three times. Her first marriage brought her a daughter Kristina, who began partnering with her mother in the 1980s. After her mother’s death, Kristina continued the work by introducing new colorways for the existing designs.
Fabrics and other products featuring Maija Isola’s prints remain part of Marimekko’s collection. Besides Unikko, many other designs—such as Kivet and Kaivo—have achieved lasting popularity.
Sources: Anna-Kaisa Huusko’s article on Maija Isola in Avotakka 4/2014, Marimekko’s website. Fabrics by Muija Second Hand.
