A collection born from a mutual passion for Nordic design, Vogue Scandinavia’s Shoe and Handbag expert Sandra Hagelstam talks to the designers bringing the playful collaboration to life
Finnish fashion house Marimekko, known for their quintessentially colourful prints, are joining forces with NYC based handbag brand Mansur Gavriel for a vibrant summer collection. Launching just in time for the holidays on the 7th of June, the five-piece bag collaboration brings together the best of both worlds – Marimekko’s iconic prints on Mansur Gavriel’s, Italian-crafted, leather handbags.
Nature was the main inspiration for the collaboration, as well the minimal, graphic approach that comes with a playfulness. ‘’Both brands share an enthusiasm for art and the surrounding nature, and of course a love of colours and shapes,’’ says Marimekko’s creative director Rebekka Bay. "Mansur Gavriel’s fantastic use of colours, shapes and materials’’ was something that caught Rebekka Bay eye early on, until the time felt right to work on a collection together.
Photo: Mansur Gavriel x Marimekko
The female-led history of Marimekko was an inspiration and driving force for uniting the designers. Marimekko’s founder, Armi Ratia was a female entrepreneur ahead of her time when she founded Marimekko in 1951, with a strong vision and dedicated approach to her designs, branding as well as marketing. ‘'We approach Mansur Gavriel with a similar lens, with the aim to create a specific world with a very focused visual language," says the designers Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel behind Mansur Gavriel states.
The limited-edition, five-piece bag collection merges Mansur Gavriel’s most iconic bag styles, the tote and the bucket bag with two of Marimekko’s bold prints by Maija Isola and Annika Rimala that dates back to the 1960’s. The fabrics were printed at Marimekko’s printing factory in Helsinki, Finland and the bags crafted and finalised by a family-run factory in Italy. Successfully combining Marimekko’s design DNA with a partner’s core expertise is the start of a great partnership, says Rebekka Bay, with the hopes that the iconic prints can reach and inspire an even wider global audience.
After diving into the archives of Marimekko’s prints, Maija Isola’s Mansikkavuoret (strawberry hills) felt like the right choice for Mansur Gaviel. ‘’It’s iconic, bold, graphic, feminine. It’s one of Marimekko’s core prints, and we love working with fruit motifs," the NYC-based designers states.
Photo: Mansur Gavriel x Marimekko
Photo: Mansur Gavriel x Marimekko
Being long-time fans of Marimekko, Mansur Gavriel founders Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel were excited to collaborate with the iconic fashion house, Marimekko. ‘’We both have known of Marimekko since we were children. We appreciated the brand while both respectively studying design and art. Rachel has a degree in textile design from the Rhode Island School of Design, and studied abroad at the Denmark’s Designskole her junior year, focusing on the history of Scandinavian textile design, as well as creating original textile prints while there.’’ Gavriel states. ‘’We are strong colourists, and we love how colour is a dominant element in both Marimekko and Mansur Gavriel," the designer continues.
Marimekko x Mansur Gavriel is available from 7 June on mansurgavriel.com, at selected Mansur Gavriel e-tailers and retailers around the world as well as on marimekko.com and in chosen Marimekko stores and retailers globally.