Saturday

Today was all about me! I had a great day being on my own schedule, doing what I wanted to do for as long as I felt like. The best thing I did today was go to the Marimekko exhibit at Illinois Institute of Technology. There was a brief period in my life in high school when I wanted to be a textile designer – so this was a great thrill for me.

I knew a little about Marimekko, but I learned a lot at the exhibit. The vision guiding the company came from a woman, Armi Ratia. In 1949, her husband bought a company called Printex that made plain old cotton fabric. In order to help market the product, she hired young designers to design new prints for the fabric and make a small collection of clothing from them. Beginning with a 1951 fashion show of these designs, Marimekko was born.

I’m no historian – so go here to read more about Marimekko’s history. Unfortunately, the exhibit doesn’t have a catalog – so that’s the best I can do. For Chicago folks (or visitors! come visit!) - the exhibit will be open until July 28.

I've made a set on Flickr of some of my favorite images from the exhibit. Enjoy the feast of color!

Up next in 'day of me' day activities: Tivo'd episodes of Knitty Gritty.