Riitta Immonen

Riitta Immonen (13 May 1918 in Ilomantsi – 24 August 2008 in Helsinki) was a Finnish fashion artist and entrepreneur, best known as the co-founder of Finnish fashion corporation Marimekko. Immonen was also known for her one-of-a-kind outfits, celebrity clients and a question-and-answer column which she wrote for Finnish fashion magazine Eeva in the 1950s and 1960s.^[1]

Riitta Immonen was born in 1918 in Ilomantsi. A self-taught clothing designer, Immonen opened her first design boutique in Helsinki during World War II in 1942 which grew into a success despite the shortages of the ensuing years. In 1951, she and Armi Ratia started up Marimekko to sell fabrics made by Finnish textile firm Printex.^[2] However, after the firm's first season, she focused on her own Cinderella collections, and eventually left Marimekko a few years later, continuing to design clothes for the rest of her life. In 1987–1990 she was still designing unique outfits for a company named Atelierika.^[3] In 2008, Immonen was the subject of an exhibition at the Finnish Design Museum. She died later the same year in Helsinki.

• Koskennurmi-Sivonen, Ritva: Creating a unique dress: A study of Riita Immonen’s creations in the Finnish fashion house tradition. Helsinki: Akatiimi, 1998. ISBN 951-97208-7-1

• New York Times: Riitta Immonen, Clothing Designer, Dies at 90.

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