Finnish clothing company Merimekko eyes India

Leading Finnish textile and clothing design company

Merimekko is considering India entry. Merimekko, a household name in Finland, has over 80 stores in 12 countries, including China and Japan. Buoyed by the response it received in Japan and China, Merimekko is now eyeing the Indian market.

Known for its bright and bold prints, the company this year opened its first store in Hong Kong and plans to start 13 more such stores in China. And taking the robust Indian economy into consideration, the company wants to expand its footprint into the Indian market with a local partner.

Apart from designing dresses for women, men and children, it is also into interior decoration, ranging from furnishing fabrics to tableware as well as bags and other accessories. When Merimekko was founded in 1951, its unparalleled printed fabrics gave it a strong and unique identity.

According to the company’s website, the brand sales of Marimekko products worldwide in 2011 amounted to approximately €170 million (over Rs 1,200 crores) and the company’s net sales were euro €77 million (over Rs 500 crores).

Merimekko made the first splash in the fashion industry in the 1960s and 1970s with its iconic Unikko or poppy print pattern in 1964. And the brand became famous when Jacqueline Kennedy bought eight Merimekko dresses which she wore throughout the 1960 John F Kennedy’s US presidential campaign. In the 1990s, the brand again got publicity when in the popular "Sex and the City" series, one of the characters wore a Merimekko bikni.