Sometimes you get such a fabulous blog post idea that you just have to do it right away. No matter how hungry you are or how much you have to pee…Writing comes first!
Since Marco Mäkinen voiced that Marimekko should do a Prymachenko-collection, I thought, why not give my suggestions on what prints to use? The prints are in no particular order and I didn’t separate fashion prints and home decor prints but I think you’ll enjoy this regardless. (Click the images to go to the original sources):
I call this Blossom Bird on a Blueberry Field. This would work as a large repeated pattern where there’d be four repeats or so per curtain panel. A B&W version where everything would be an outline would be fabulous as well. Also, the blueberry bushes could be made into an allover pattern.
Fishies! I love the pink, yellow and blue in this. How about a pattern were schools of fish would be separated by small gatherings of berries? Not fashion but home furnishings. Tea towels, aprons, oven mitts…Maybe a set of serving dishes?
Riding a Wolf Amongst Acorns. Again, my own name. What I like about this art work are the hot pink acorns and those dotted leaves. If it were printed on a heavy weight canvas to be used on home decor, I’d use all the elements to create an allover pattern. For fashion fabric the best usable elements are the acorns, oak leaves and those dotted thingies in a scattered pattern. It’d be amazing.
Dear Taras Hryhorovych, Whatever You See Here Is Yours. Yes, that’s the actual name of this piece. There are so many workable elements in here. By removing the grave, I can see this as a print for children too. Both in clothing and in decor. For women’s fashion the florals could be used to create a scattered pattern. Summer evening gown in chiffon? I’d wear it. But then again, you know my penchant for floral prints even if they make me look like a sofa. Not that everyone else would look like one, I just want to it to be known that I acknowledge the fact that I would.
Forest Harvest (my invention). I’m not too keen on the background colour but this would be lovely home decor fabric. Remove the characters, enlarge the trees, add those smaller plants and saturate the colours. And voila, you have a very Marimekko-esque print.
Speaking of Marimekko-esque…Young Lion (real name). This is ready to be printed. There are few other animal pieces by Maria so it would be possible to make a serie out of them but I found the other ones bit too scary. Large lions for home decor and small ones for an allover pattern for clothing. This. Is. Wow.
Let Us Go to the Betrothal Party, 1968. I love three elements about this piece. The arch, the rug and the oranges. I’d work it in to a stripe pattern for ceramics. Maybe it was my years in Holland that did it for me but blue, white and orange is one of my favourite colour combinations. Ooh, I’d use the couple in a set of dishtowels! Can you imagine receiving a coffee set and couple of those towels as a wedding gift? The collectability factor just went through the roof.
My Dear Has Fallen in Love with Brigadier, 1972. Sensing from the tone, both the title and the colours, Maria wasn’t too happy about that. The image would need a lot of work, but there are lot of elements that can be used in a print. The girl. The shutters. The details in the dress. Definitely more home decor material. Maybe even some small ornaments?
Side note…Arabia and Marimekko should make a series of ornaments based on Maria Prymachenko’s characters! Limited Edition, 12 ornaments, available for a short period of time! There could be also a special packaging made of wood for collectors!
Me, the merchandising genius me!
Sunflowers! This is simple, either use this as is (only do bit technical cleaning) or separate the blossoms and create an allover pattern. Would work for clothing, home decor, footwear (have you seen the Marc Jacobs Daisy-shoes?), ceramics and other merchandise. 90′s nostalgia is here and the sunflower was the symbol of the era. Hipsters, ravers, 90′s rockers and people who just like sunflowers. Target audiences!!! I just thought. The background should be inky blue. Almost black but not quite. I bet that’s expensive to produce. (But so luxurious and fabulous!)
Four Drunkards Riding a Bird, 1976. Am I the only one or does Maria really tell how it is? This one is a tricky one. I don’t think this is directly repeatable but if those men were made into separate characters, as well as the bird and then combined with the various decorative elements, it’d work as print. The print then could be used in a set of Jonathan Adler-esque ceramics. Remember those cute salt&pepper-sets? Or does he still do them?
So here is my list of Maria Prymachenko prints I think Marimekko could use. What do you think of my ideas? Let me know your own ideas and thoughts in the comments and if you know any other good Maria prints, link up!
Thrifty Finn- Master of Merchandising and Inventor of Ideas
- Marimekko, Interesting Commentaries (thriftyfinn.wordpress.com)
- Marimekko, Copyrighted vol.2 (thriftyfinn.wordpress.com)
- 557 780 Good Reasons (thriftyfinn.wordpress.com)
- Marimekko, Copyrighted (thriftyfinn.wordpress.com)
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