If Bangkok commuters seem to have a spring in their step and a smile on their face these days, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. With such a beautiful Skytrain, who wouldn’t?
Photo: Marimekko
Iconic Finnish brand Marimekko celebrated its 70th anniversary this summer and, to mark the occasion, it collaborated with the Bangkok Transit System (BTS) to wrap the entire Skytrain in its most recognizable design: large and bright poppies.
Photo: Marimekko
The bold poppy pattern, known as Unikko (Finnish for poppy), was designed in 1964 by designer Maija Isola against her boss’s order.
In an email conversation with Matador’s Noelle Salmi in 2020, Sylvia Sene, Marimekko’s Global PR Manager, explained, “Armi Ratia [the founder of the Finnish brand] … had publicly forbidden all Marimekko designers from creating floral prints, as she felt that flowers would always be more beautiful in nature; However, designer Maija Isola did not care about Armi’s restrictions and went ahead to create something interesting from this organic theme and designed an entire range of floral prints, one of them being Unikko … Maija showed the prints to Armi, and when Armi saw the avant-garde, bold, and modern poppy flower, she changed her mind.”
Today, Unikko is the quintessential Marimekko pattern, and it adorns the Bangkok Skytrain (inside and out, from doors to ceilings) with a cheerful shade of orange.
Photo: Marimekko
It’s the second time Marimekko has worked with BTS. In October 2020, the brand wrapped the Skytrain in a blue Unikko print.
Photo: Marimekko
The Marimekko wrap will cover Bangkok’s Skytrain until the end of August, but we hope it’s not the last time the brand decides to brighten up everyday life with its delightful, sunny pattern. 