Marimekko Corporation, Press release, 5 July 2017 at 10:00 a.m.  
 
Marimekko’s theme during the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence is bold patterns and doing things together open-mindedly. In collaboration with Slush, Europe’s leading event for technology and start-ups, and Junction, the largest hackathon in Europe, we encourage participation in and create opportunities for innovation: we invite 50 younger generation creators to take part in the Marimekko Designathon competition that aims to challenge the traditional conventions of the textile and clothing industry. The international hackathon event combines design and technology in order to come up with new innovative solutions with the help of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies. The Marimekko Designathon will be held at Marimekko’s headquarters in Helsinki over a weekend from 15 to 17 September, in conjunction with the Helsinki Design Week.

On Sunday 17 September, a jury composed of international experts and the organizers of the competition will select the top 3–5 ideas from approximately 10 entries. The winners will have the opportunity to present their ideas to an audience of investors and startups at Slush 2017, 30 November – 1 December.  
 
The members of the jury include:  

• Caterina Fake, American entrepreneur, angel investor and board member, also known for being the co-founder of Flickr and Hunch, and Chairman of Etsy.com 

• Linda Liukas, Finnish author of the Hello Ruby children’s picture book, programmer and TED resident 

• Cecilie Manz, one of the leading Danish furniture and product designers of her generation 

• Arni Aromaa, Finnish designer, and creative director and CEO at Pentagon Design Oy 

• Kari Korkman, Helsinki Design Week founder and director, and president of the World Design Weeks network 

• Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko, Marimekko’s president and CEO, and chairman of the jury  
   

The sign-up for the Marimekko Designathon begins in the beginning of August. 

A pattern to symbolise the collaboration 
 
Maija Louekari, one of Marimekko's most prominent younger generation print designers, has created a pattern entitled Hyvä myrsky (good storm) to symbolise the Marimekko Designathon competition. The pattern was inspired by brainstorms where bold ideas and people meet and new beginnings are born. In the pattern, multi-interpretative storm clouds and lightning strikes form a good storm that freshens the surrounding world and so enables something new to emerge. Photo of the Hyvä myrsky pattern: http://mediabank.marimekko.fi/l/mWqKSMb-JLq6 
 
Marimekko’s CEO and President Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko, Slush CEO Marianne Vikkula and Head of Junction Ville Leppälä have shared their thoughts about the Marimekko Designathon here: https://newsclient.omxgroup.com/cdsPublic/viewDisclosure.action?disclosureId=748011&lang=en. 
 
Further details about Marimekko’s projects and events related to the centenary are available, inter alia, at www.marimekko.com. 
 

Additional information: 
Asta Halme, Marimekko Communications 
Tel. +358 9 7587 233 
asta.halme@marimekko.com 
 
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Marimekko is a Finnish design company renowned for its original prints and colours. The company’s product portfolio includes high-quality clothing, bags and accessories as well as home décor items ranging from textiles to tableware. When Marimekko was founded in 1951, its unparalleled printed fabrics gave it a strong and unique identity. Marimekko products are sold in about 40 countries. In 2016, brand sales of the products worldwide amounted to EUR 199 million and the company's net sales were close to EUR 100 million. Roughly 160 Marimekko stores serve customers around the globe. The key markets are Northern Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region. The Group employs about 400 people. The company’s share is quoted on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. www.marimekko.com