Ritva Falla

Fashion designer Ritva Falla has become known for creating Marimekko’s elegant business-wear line. She joined Marimekko on a full-time basis in 1997.

Ritva Falla, how did you become a fashion designer?
I dreamed of becoming a fashion designer as a little girl. I admired the glamour that surrounded great fashion designers at the time. My mother made beautiful clothes for me, and I became interested in garments and dress as a child. And of course I began by designing clothes for paper dolls.

What’s it like to design at Marimekko?
Marimekko has always been a dream workplace for me. I came here to design women’s business wear, which had not been done before in the company. It was a challenge, but also highly interesting. This is a place of opportunities and I have greatly enjoyed being here. The freedom that I find here is the best that a designer can be offered. On the other hand, it also entails responsibility.

How would you describe the Ritva Falla Collections?
Elegant, clean-lined and classical with surprising details.

How do you get your ideas for your collections?
It is definitely life as seen and experienced that the designer filters into his or her own philosophy of dress. It always starts with a blank sheet of paper and in a way the designing begins with blinkered eyes. There is only an image in the mind.

What is the most important quality of a fashion designer?
Of course, one has to be interested in garments. In addition, there is the need

for a sense of form and aesthetics, and talent. At least for me, the work of a fashion designer is a lifestyle. You cannot do this work half-heartedly; you have to make a total commitment. Designing is work proceeding from people, a service profession. I feel I create everyday art while designing garments. People and garments form a symbiosis in the sense that one’s mood, for example, is particularly improved when dressed in clothes that feel pleasant. It is the best thanks for me if someone gets that feeling from garments designed by me.

What is the most challenging garment to design?
The coat is the most challenging one, because it requires the control of such a great mass of material. You could almost say that if you’re good at designing coats, you can design any clothing at all.

What kind of materials do you prefer in your work?
Natural materials. My favourite is wool, soft and warm. As a material it is flexible, though difficult.

What is your own style of dress?
I want to break down styles and ensembles by combining surprising products. In everyday wear, for example, with one part, top or bottom, relaxed and the other classically elegant.

What do you dream of?
A small sports car, and of having better control over my time.

How do you see the future of Marimekko?
Marimekko’s future looks particularly promising. It is a lifestyle company of diversity that will hold its own even in stiff competition.