At the start of her career, the textile artist Armi Ratia said: "One has to dream. And one must stand out from the rest." The woman who founded Finland's famous design company, Marimekko, in 1951, certainly did both.
Known for its prints and cheerful designs, Marimekko has been described as one of the greatest success stories in the history of 20th-century design. Even if you don't necessarily know the brand by name, you'll know its signature look: big, bold, simple floral and geometric prints that find their way onto cushions, linens and ceramics.
Last year, the company celebrated its 60th anniversary; this year, it has something else to commemorate. Ratia, who died in 1979, would have been 100 years old this July.
All this year, Marimekko will honour her memory, starting with a year-long competition launched last month in Ratia's name, which encourages people to share their stories of everyday happiness.
Marimekko has also revived an original archive print from 1951, featuring hand-drawn scenes of Helsinki's landmarks to celebrate the capital's appointment as World Design Capital of the Year 2012. It's a simple yet fitting tribute to both the city's deserved design status and the company's founder.
Ratia set Marimekko up with her husband at a time when a disheartened Europe was putting itself back together after the Second World War. Her vision injected playful colours into a bleak Finnish landscape, making homes stylish yet warm and, on the fashion side, giving real women (with real shapes) flattering clothes to wear.
But what is it about Marimekko that has led to its long-lasting, worldwide appeal?
"Marimekko is always about strong emotions," says the company's creative director, Minna Kermell-Kutvonen. "Our passion for bright colours and bold black-and-white contrasts is unmistakable. Every day we work with the entire gamut of emotions: joy, calm, relaxed, energetic or even silent and brooding. It is this desire to combine seemingly contradictory emotions that makes Marimekko distinct in today's world."
In London, Selfridges opened a Marimekko pop-up store at the start of this year. Caitlin McCann, the head buying manager, says: "There's something about Marimekko that is timeless. It combines a mid-century modern flavour with retro heritage and that's very, very cool right now. But also, it is quite simply a lovely, joyful brand. The first thing you think of when it comes to Marimekko is colour - it's bright and it's fun, and that's what makes it so enduring."
It also helps, of course, that Scandinavian design is coveted the world over and sets the scene for interiors styles. That demand explains why Marimekko has 84 stores worldwide, including a flagship store on New York's Fifth Avenue that opened last year. In the UAE, Marimekko can be found in Crate & Barrel stores in Dubai.
Marimekko's Helsinki flagship, which will also be the home of all sorts of in-store events as part of the WDC year celebrations, is spread out over two, huge floors, with reams of fabric for sewing projects and shelves full of folksy-style crockery and teapots, colourful glassware and bold bed linens and towels. It's a rainbow of sherbet colours, and anyone wanting to introduce the look at home would have to be careful not to overdo it.
"Marimekko's unique style creates the strongest impact when statement printed pieces are mixed with plain accessories," says Gillian Anderson, the trading director at Heal's in London, which set up a Marimekko pop-up store for London Design Week last year. "So a black sofa would look stunning when teamed with the brighter, printed coloured cushions and accessories."
Some might find the chirpier side of Marimekko's palette too much. The ubiquitous Unikko print, with big, childlike hand-drawn flowers, comes in lime greens, acid yellows and the most shocking of shocking pinks. The colour explosion can leave you shell-shocked, but it's easy to tone it down.
"For those who find the colours too bold, there are gentler, calmer, more watery shades. My favourites include the Lumimarja range, which is full of beautiful, soft pistachio greens and almond browns and a cherry blossom-style print," says McCann. "Or stick to the monochrome. Another of my favourite designs is the Hetkia print, which has a lovely line drawing of a street scene in black and white."
The interiors stylist and blogger Will Taylor, who runs Bright Bazaar, a blog on how to style your home with colour, says the best way to work with the bold colours that Marimekko loves is through layering with textiles and accessories.
"Build up the look over time as you live with different hues, and see what works in the space," he says. "Start by adding a few new cushions on your sofa, perhaps in complimentary colour block shades, and then add an accent colour in the form of a throw or a rug to tie in the scheme. As well as textiles, think about creating colourful vignettes with collections of items - vases, trinkets, framed prints - from the same colour palette but in varying heights, shapes and sizes, and arrange them on your coffee table or sideboard. This will break up space and create an interesting talking point."
Kemell-Kutvonen says there are colours to suit every style, even those with more sober, streamlined tastes. "Our passion for bright colours and bold black and white contrasts is unmistakable. And we also use silent tones and muted hues to bring out subtle contrasts."
Part of the Marimekko philosophy is to encourage creativity, so sewing your own cushions or curtains is positively encouraged. Last year, it published Surrur, a craft book full of do-it-yourself guides that had craft and design bloggers going crazy over its unusual sewing ideas, which included a scalloped patchwork tablecloth and a giant fabric owl for children.
"There's still a real trend for make-do-and-mend and learning to sew," says McCann. "It's something more and more people are spending time on, and it's easy to see the attraction. The great thing about Marimekko fabric is that even if you are on a tight budget, you can introduce a little pop of colour through stitching something small. After all, there's nothing nicer than making something totally unique with your own hands."
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
New schools in Dubai
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
Fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit
As he spoke, Mr Aboul Gheit repeatedly referred to the need to tackle issues affecting the welfare of people across the region both in terms of preventing conflict and in pushing development.
Lebanon is scheduled to host the fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in January that will see regional leaders gather to tackle the challenges facing the Middle East. The last such summit was held in 2013. Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told The National that the Beirut Summit “will be an opportunity for Arab leaders to discuss solely economic and social issues, the conference will not focus on political concerns such as Palestine, Syria or Libya". He added that its slogan will be “the individual is at the heart of development”, adding that it will focus on all elements of human capital.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
more from Janine di Giovanni
Company%20Profile
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SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 20: 11am to 7pm - Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival and Para jiu-jitsu.
Sunday, April 21: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (female) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Monday, April 22: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (male) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Tuesday, April 23: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Wednesday, April 24: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Thursday, April 25: 11am-5pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Friday, April 26: 3pm to 6pm Finals of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Saturday, April 27: 4pm and 8pm awards ceremony.
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The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
