Marimekko - SS24

As models sauntered down the grassy runway of Designmuseum Denmark's courtyard, Marimekko's long legacy was on full display. Celebrating the stunning 60th anniversary of its most iconic print, Unikko, large-scale versions of the Finnish brand's infallible flower shot up from the green surroundings – presenting a colourful garden in full bloom.

"It's a season of us challenging our most recognisable and iconic print," creative director Rebekka Bay confided, saying that "the print is celebrated in the Spring/Summer 2024 collection in more ways than ever before." The scale, placement, colouring, and techniques all pay homage to Unikko's place in the print pantheon, the collection of a blank canvas being repainted with the flower's fresh and vibrant strokes.

Brilliantly playing between contradictions and marrying minimalism with utilitarianism, Marimekko’s SS24 collection unveiled itself as a vivid flower fest of invigorating fuchsia, prism pink, tangerine, chlorophyll green, and sodalite. Echoing the original colourways of the 1960s Unikko print, the colour palette is as much a statement of aesthetic authority as a glance into the brand's rich heritage. That said, Marimekko doesn't shy away from reimagining the classic. The designs, which feature robust material qualities of washed canvas and heavy cotton twill, meet crisp, colourful poplin with the delicate finesse of a watercolourist's brush.

Though the collection celebrated Unikko, it was far from a solitary journey. Finnish artist Antti Kekki joined hands with the brand, exploring abstract expressions. "Working with artists allows us to explore the relation between the artwork and the dress as a canvas," said Bay, emphasising collaboration's role in shaping Marimekko's history in general and the spring/summer season's inventive visual language in particular. After all, every new print is another plot point in Marimekko's maximalist story.

Discover all the looks from Marimekko's spring/summer '24 collection below: