Vuokko Nurmesniemi, the woman behind some of fashion’s most iconic designs of the 20th century, died last week.
Textile artist Vuokko Nurmesniemi and her Pyörre (‘whirl’) pattern. Image: Jukka Uotila / AOP
An internationally acclaimed textile artist, ceramicist, and designer, Vuokko Nurmesniemi passed away at the age of 96 over the weekend.
Her legacy, however, remains very much alive. Many of her designs are still in circulation and are now sought-after vintage pieces both in Finland and abroad.
Nurmesniemi designed clothing for Marimekko and later under her own label, Vuokko.
Designs she created decades ago can still be spotted today.
1. The Jokapoika shirt
Vuokko Nurmesniemi designed the Jokapoika shirt for Marimekko in 1956. Image: Kalle Niskala/Yle
2. Iloinen takki tunic
Vuokko Nurmesniemi designed the Iloinen takki dress for Marimekko in 1960. The dress features the Nadja pattern, also created by Nurmesniemi, while the small pockets are made from other fabrics she designed. Image: Marja Airio / Lehtikuva
3. Myllynkivi poncho dress and Rengas suit
The female model is wearing a round Myllynkivi dress, while the male model is dressed in a suit made from Rengas fabric. Image: Kari Rainer Pulkkinen, Journalistinen kuva-arkisto / Museovirasto
Myllynkivi in colour. Image: Vuokko
4. The Botticelli dress
The Botticelli dress from 1975. Image: Max Petrelius
5. The Pyörre (‘whirl’) dress
Vuokko Nurmesniemi’s early-1960s Pyörre pattern is still in use today. Image: Vuokko
6. Vuokko Nurmesniemi’s dresses through the decades
Image: Eva Lamppu
7. The 004 armchair upholstered by Vuokko Nurmesniemi
The Nojatuoli 004 armchair, designed in 1980 by Antti Nurmesniemi, features upholstery fabric created by Vuokko Nurmesniemi. Image: Vuokko
Nurmesniemi’s designs gained international attention in the 1960s, when Jacqueline Kennedy took a liking to her dresses while married to President John F. Kennedy.
In the 2000s, another former US First Lady, Secretary of State and Senator Hillary Clinton also wore Nurmesniemi’s Iloinen Takki.
Her designs have also been worn by prominent figures, including Finland’s first lady Suzanne Innes-Stubb and former president Tarja Halonen.
Suzanne Innes-Stubb wore a dress designed by Vuokko Nurmesniemi during the presidential couple’s state visit to Norway in October 2024. Image: Stian Lysberg Solum / EPA
In 2003, former president Tarja Halonen wore a suit designed by Vuokko Nurmesniemi at Finland’s Independence Day reception. Image: Derrick Frilund./YLE.
