Marimekko originally began in 1949 by Viljo Ratia and his wife Armi Ratia. The two commissioned young artists to design fabric prints for the company, which resulted in entirely new, boldly colored and patterned fabrics. In 1951, they officially established the Marimekko Corporation. Since then, Marimekko has been a leading Finnish textile and clothing design company. The company designs, manufactures and markets high-quality clothing, interior decoration textiles, bags and other accessories under the Marimekko brand, both in Finland and abroad.