Marimekko’s own production has always been a central aspect of creating and developing design. Through its own production, the company maintains a good feel for the technical skills needed in making design products and for the economic significance of production.
Marimekko’s three own factories are all in Finland: the fabric printing works in Helsinki, the clothing factory at Kitee, and the bag factory in Sulkava. At present, Marimekko’s own plants produce slightly less than half of all the products sold by the company.
Unfortunately, Marimekko Factory tours are not available to the public at this time. However, there are factory stores where you can find great deals on your favorite Marimekko designs. Visit Marimekko for more information: https://www.marimekko.com/us_en/
Fabric printing has been a core area of expertise at Marimekko from the very beginning and these skills are being developed continuously. The fabric printing works at Herttoniemi in Helsinki are a unique facility in terms of versatility and flexibility. In 2004, a new, state-of-the-art printing press was installed at the factory – a 12-colour flat screen printing machine, including a rotary press, made by the Austrian company J. Zimmer Maschinenbau GmbH. Also, the stencil-making process was modernised with new digital equipment supplied by Lüscher AG of Switzerland. A new textile steamer and automatic colour kitchen were installed at the factory in 2006. The refurbishments are part of a developmental project aimed at improving quality, making cost savings and increasing technical capabilities to facilitate product development.
