I found this messenger bag at the Fara Charity Shop, just up the road from Turnham Green Tube Station in Chiswick. It's from Marimekko, the iconic Finnish design house. In 1951 the company staged its first fashion show in a Helsinki hotel; the bold print dresses on show were so popular that they sold straight off the models' backs. The company opened its first shop a year later. In '58 founders introduced Marimekko at the Brussels World's Fair, paving the way for the brand to skip over the Atlantic and make a splash in NYC. Americans go gaga for the happy graphic designs and by 1960 Jacqueline Kennedy buys 7 Marimekko shift dresses, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated in one of them. The fashion glossies go mad for the brand. In 1971 the founder's son cuts up canvas to create the company's first classic bag design. This Marimekko bag, probably just 5 years old, has had some use but it's still sturdy, stylish and carries with it a rich design history. While a little worn, it carried a price tag of only £5.
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