Maija Louekari

The Finnish designer Maija Louekari (b. 1982) is well-known for the textile prints she designed for Marimekko. Maija has studied at the University of Art and Design Helsinki and the starting point of her career was in 2003 when she won the design competition Nuoren elämän raamit (The Setting for a Young Life). 

The competition was organized by the University of Art and Design Helsinki and Marimekko and Maija Louekari won with the print Hetkiä (Moments), which captures an everyday moment at the central Esplanadi Park in Helsinki. Maija Louekari gets the inspiration for her fabrics from everyday life, from small things that surround her, people, sounds, feelings, etc. For each of her prints there’s an interesting story behind. Among her most important patterns there are for instance Ho-Hoi and Kaiku which depict traditional Finnish landscapes, Satakieli and Karkuteillä, which is a joyful pattern which features three pals who have escaped from the zoo, and who before returning to their natural habitats have gone shopping in the city, as can be seen from the elephant's chic boots. One of Maija Louekari’s latest works are the patterns for Marimekko’s tableware collection In Good Company (2009), which features such prints as Siirtolapuutarha, Puutarhurin parhaat and Räsymatto.