DESIGNER TALK: CREATING MARIMO FW26 COLLECTION
The ideas for this collection had been in my head for a long time, but when it finally came to sketching, I had only one hour. My husband was sleeping and the children were with their grandparents, so that was my window. One hour to sit down and get the ideas from my head onto paper. This is also a part of being an entrepreneur: you don’t always get perfect conditions or a whole day to be creative. Sometimes you just take the one hour you have.
How a collection comes together
A collection usually does not start in a logical one way. Sometimes it is a material, sometimes a color, sometimes a fit that I simply want to explore. For me, it is always a balance between what I want to create, what our client needs, and what she will actually buy and wear. This is something I always come back to when creating a collection. We start from our client and her elegant way of dressing. She is not looking for clothes just for one occasion. She needs clothes that work in her real life. This is why I also felt that we needed more office dresses this time. The feminine lines were also an important part of the collection. I wanted the silhouettes to feel feminine and have this elegance, but also the practicality that is very much Marimo and our capsule wardrobe approach in the collections.
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The first thought
For this collection, one of the first ideas was embroidery. In the beginning, I imagined it as a large embroidery, but then you think about the client. Large embroidery means a much higher price. Some clients can afford it, but there are too few of them. Then I thought of a beautiful embroidery on the shoulder straps and for some products on the sleeves and in smaller details. With smaller embroidery there is already a price addition, but if it is on a sleeve, for example, the piece is still very much an everyday garment. You can wear it to work, you can wear it many times, it does not have to wait for a special occasion. Otherwise you have a beautiful dress or a coat with a huge embroidery and you start thinking: okay, when is the President’s reception coming? I want the special pieces to still have a life beyond one occasion.
A new color story
The color palette came from wanting some change. I wanted something completely different from what we have had recently, but it still needed to work with the existing wardrobe. First I fell in love with this new bamboo-wool blend fabric and I was choosing between two beautiful colors. Finally the burgundy-pink was chosen because it matches perfectly with the pink bamboo fabric from the previous collection. So it is new, but still a continuation. The brown, on the other hand, is completely something different for us in terms of color. It gives the collection another feeling and brings something new into the Marimo wardrobe. I think this balance worked out quite well. And thirdly we have an interesting Moccha color cady silk with a hint of pink/peach undertones that matches so well with other colors.
25% proven, 75% new
I kept in mind that around 25% of the collection should be cuts that have already proven themselves and sell. The burgundy pants are the same model we had in black in winter 2025. The bomber jacket was created in winter 2024, but this time comes in a completely different cashmere material. The casual cut with this beautiful material still feels very elegant. The slip dress first appeared in summer 2022 and works so well that instead of replacing it, we developed it. This time there is an everyday wool crepe version and a more formal silk version with wider straps, embroidery and we’re doing a matching crystal belt. But the peplum jacket is completely new for us and also the long pencil skirt is something I wanted to bring into the previous winter collection, but we keep our collections small and it did not fit the list that time. Now it felt like the right time. We had also made it as a custom order for our client Triin, and she was very happy with it so it’s great to receive some feedback before launching it in the collection. I also wanted to bring in a burgundy color for our Medemia sweater, which we have already had in white and black. This makes it possible to combine the pieces with each other and create a complete wardrobe rather than just individual looks.
When something small becomes a centre idea
Belts are another new element. Our previous summer blazer with the fabric-covered belt was received very well. We had similar belts many years ago, then we moved on from them, and now suddenly it felt right to bring them back. This time we are also introducing leather belts. You can wear the same garment with a fabric-covered belt or a leather belt and get a completely different feeling.
For me, this is what makes a collection work: new ideas, proven pieces, and enough versatility to make everything feel like a real wardrobe. And maybe most importantly, it is about creating clothes that are beautiful enough to make you feel something, but practical enough that you actually want to wear them.
Can't wait to show you the new collection!
Warmly,
Founder & Designer
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