Undisputedly the most famous textile designer to have existed at Marimekko, Maija Isola created over 500 prints during her long and colorful employment. The height of her design notoriety occurred during the 1960’s, right around the time when she created her explosive Unikko pattern. In addition, during this time her designs were not only popular in Europe but they were favored by the First Lady of the United States, Jacqueline Kennedy.
Eventually becoming head designer of interior fabrics, Isola worked at Marimekko for 38 years and created a design legacy as her daughter Kristina became a textile artist to continue her work. Maija Isola was versatile and bold designer; she not only captured the trends of the moment but was able to foresee patterns for the future. Her artful ideas came from traditional folk art, nature, and from her various inspirational trips around the world. An artist who needed nothing more that an empty workspace stocked with a small assortment of painting and drawing tools and newsprint to cover the floor, Maija Isola was consumed by creating art and her talents have immensely impacted modern design.
Being one of the first young artist at Marimekko, Maija Isola created some of the most iconic Marimekko prints. Maija Isola's early works were inspired by nature and were created through a photographic screen where actual plants were projected onto a screen. As she matured, she embraced minimalist geometric visuals with bold explosions of colour that made her renowned for her remarkable large body of work. Some of Maija Isola's best Marimekko prints were Kivet (stones), Lokki (seagull), Kaivo (well), Appelsiini (orange), and many more. She was filled with endless creative ideas that had a great influence on modern arts.
