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First there was Printex, a company producing oilcloth and printed fabrics, which Viljo Ratia bought in 1949. His wife, Armi Ratia, commissioned young artists to design fabric prints for the company, which resulted in entirely new, boldly coloured and patterned fabrics. People admired them, but did not really know what use they could have. So it was decided to make a small collection of clothing to demonstrate the uses of the fabrics, and to establish a separate company, Marimekko Oy, to make the clothing. The first Marimekko collection was designed by Riitta Immonen and was presented to the Finnish public in a fashion show at the Kalastajatorppa restaurant in Helsinki in May 1951.
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