Designer Spotlight: Marita Aikonen

 I don’t know that I have an answer to the ‘why’ … I think it’s more about ‘how’. I grew up with my grandmother being a seamstress who would make all of our clothes growing up. I would watch her take measurements of her clients , making them into a simple pattern or sometimes just drawing the lines directly on the fabric, she would pick up her huge scissors and cut the fabric into dresses ,skirts , shirts, pants .. you name it the scissors were huge and sharp –she would peddle her singer sewing machine so fast that I would just be mesmerized by her talent and how easy it was for her.I didn’t know it then what an influence she would have on me … yet I made my 1^st dress with her help at the age of 7 … and I still have it hanging in my closet – thanks to my mother who saved it for me.

Thru out my teenager years I would keep making my own clothes – I would ‘hide’ in our sewing room late at nite and make things because I felt that I wouldn’t find anything in the stores that I liked – hah- already then I had a vision of my own for fashion I guess …and yes – growing up in Finland – you were most likely to have a separate sewing room.After graduating high school I didn’t have any idea what I wanted to do so I decided to go to college and ‘kill’ time by going to Arts and Crafts school and specializing in design. One of my teachers made me realize that this is my passion/talent and she truly brought the best out of me during that 2.5 yr course. I kept making my own clothes and not until I had taken few years off by living in Germany and in California I then decided to finally get a degree in fashion design here in San Francisco. 

How did you get into designing your line? What was the inspiration?

    I had been in the corporate world of design for about 20 years and had been specifically designing for the special size divisions and successfully grew the businesses for these companies. It was a great way to learn about this customer- yet there are also limitations of who you can be as your own creative soul in that environment. I also felt that even the big companies still today even though they are carrying plus size assortments – don’t really give enough support and attention to this customer that she so deserves. So over the course of time – the idea – can I do this on my own and really speak to this customer who is still so under served in fashion and great fit for her – with my own personal style- and accessorizing it – showing her how to wear it – that idea- I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I also got tired of my friends telling me that I should start my own line of product based on the looks I would wear as a size 12/14! So here I am – with my 1^st collection – fall 2015 !

     My inspiration truly was my frustration of product that exists at the market place for women that are average or bigger than average size in United States which is a size 14. All the well known fashion brands in a contemporary or better market stop their sizes at 10 or 12… some go to XL but that size doesn’t fit a ‘typical’ XL body. So you are left with the fast fashion brands that offer the season’s hottest looks or brands that cater towards mature more matronly looking clothing for this size range. Where are the brands that offer every day/every where, trend right yet sophisticated apparel with quality product for a woman that wants to look current regardless of her age or her size? Why should you be wearing product that is either too trendy/young or too mature/matronly if you are a size bigger than 12 and why shouldn’t you have the same looks to wear as your straight size girlfriends do?

Please tell us about your line eevamarita. 

   eevamarita is about quality , not quantity…it’s for women that are confident regardless of the size or the age they are…. it’s about making you feel pretty and feminine…depending how you accessorize the items – you can go casual yet comfortable for the day – and sexy and sassy for the nite ! eevamarita is about having pieces of items in your closet that will last past the trends that might come and go….personally I invest in pieces in my closet that I can still pull after 5+ years in my closet and feel like I don’t look ‘so past last season’ and that’s the philosophy for the collection of eevamarita product as well….eevamarita is about luxury pieces that are effortless yet fashionable… eevamarita’s fits are based on fitting on a fit model size 20 – my fit model for the past 8 yrs…so the product is not just ‘sized up’

I size up and down from size 20 again to take the real curves into consideration to provide the most flattering and comfortable fit for us all…sizing … another different story …eevamarita comes in the size range from 10-24 starting with S being the 10-12 all the way to XL for the time being … there is room to expand the size range in the future to cover the sizes from 2 to 28 and truly be a brand for all sizes… when you think about when the ‘sizing’ chart was created in the 50’s – size 8 was the average size back then and considered as a M in the industry… well…times have changed and now the average size is 14 – so that’s how eevamarita’s M is 14-16…

What were your inspirations for the designs you create?

My inspiration is the heritage that I have from growing up in Finland – the design aesthetic of Scandinavian design – simplistic yet elegant – bold yet sophisticated . In fact the paisley print  was inspired by a dress my mother used to wear in the 60’s…and for some reason I had saved it all these years in my closet to ‘wear’ it one day …well… now I wear it all the time as the Julia Blouse… I also used to handknit my sweaters every winter growing up hence having half of the collection focusing on sweaters…

What is the biggest lesson that you have learned since you started your company?

Patience ! It takes time to build the trust with your customer ! I would be skeptical myself if all of the sudden I was told to buy an unknown brand that isn’t ‘cheap and cheerful’ and is an investment in your wardrobe ! So with that I had to learn to be better at self promoting myself – the talent –the passion – the knowledge of fit and design – and the aesthetic that I have for the overall design and specifically for the woman that is not a perfect size 0-10. 

What designers inspire you? 

   Starting ‘eevamarita’

What does the term Plus-Size & Plus-Size Fashion mean to you?

    I’ve never understood the ‘category’ of plus size and being treated differently…what is a difference between a size 0 and size 20 in terms of what fashion she wants to wear ? that used to be my biggest pet peeve working in the corporate world and convincing the teams that she does like to wear fashion as much as anyone in the marketplace… the only difference is that you will need to fit the product to her size … the proportions have to be slightly different .. but in the end … why should she be left out of the skinny jean trend for example… I still remember the conversations of naming the product for ‘plus size’ … oh we shouldn’t be calling it ‘skinny’ for her … and I was like why not ? that’s the trend in the denim market right now and she should be able to be part of it as much as the size 0 girl does…so starting my own collection my biggest challenge has been …still is… do I call it plus size ? and I don’t .. because I start with size 10 since the contemporary brands think we are too big for their product … but how do we define where ‘plus size’ means and what size does it start with ? 

Even having been in the industry and specifically creating product for plus size and plus size fashion my belief is that she should be treated with the same amount of passion as her straight size friend is and offer her the fashion that exists in the marketplace and not to leave her out of it.

 What do you predict for the future of Plus Size Fashion?

 We have a long way to go still…I entered the world of plus size 15 years ago…and the progress being made is remarkable…yet it seems like the ‘true believers’ of this customer are the small brands that are coming to play in the marketplace to make the difference myself included…I recently had a conversation with someone in the magazine world and as I was telling about my Brand she share her frustration of finding quality product in the plus size fashion that they would feature in their magazine…as I mentioned earlier …my frustration is about the quality and the aesthetic of the fashion that exist in this marketplace for her …it’s time to change that ! The bigger fashion houses need to realize that she has a lot of spending power and that she can’t be an afterthought and that ‘one size fits all’.

 Some brands are scared of going out of a mold they created when they make plus size clothing, why do you think that is? What can we as a community do to help change this? 

I think they are scared of going after the plus size clothing for few reasons … one … it’s not the ‘desired’ size in the fashion industry so it’s not considered the glamorous designer role at all … two… you really need to spend time understanding this customer… in all sizes …three…you need to have the knowledge of fitting the garments to her body – one size does not fit all…

    How to help … I think it’s designers like Ashley Nell Tipton that are making a difference …having to be the 1^st at NYFW to show plus size collection and have plus size models walking the runway..i think it’s also teaching the reality of woman’s body/size at the design schools …currently the school have you design and fit garments for the runway size 1-2 girls … so unless you are a bigger girl yourself and making designs for yourself will you ever be exposed to learning how to design and fit for a woman who is the average size woman in States…  

What are some fashion pieces every plus size woman should have in her wardrobe?

I believe that you should have the best fitting jean in a fit that is the most flattering to your curves …I am still in the skinny jean trend– in dark denim and in white , clean and/or distressed – so you can use them as the blank canvas to dress to the mood of your every day looks

·       The blouse that truly expresses your personality…

·       The leather moto jacket …. It goes with anything ….

·       A good heel … makes you look sexy any day or time of the day …

·       Something with sequins…there’s nothing better than brightening your day/nite with some bling

·       A Dress that can be dressed down for the day and dressed up for the date nite whether is a date with your girlfriends or your hottie date…

                                                                           What favorite quote/mantra do you live by?

 There might be few ….

   For eevamarita it’s …’style is not a size it’s an attitude’

     For my everyday sanity …. ‘just go with the flow’

                              For keeping it real when things seem to be overwhelming … ‘happiness is a place between too little and too much

Please tell us more about you! 

·       Omg… what else is there to tell !! I love accessories …. There is nothing better than good pair of sexy shoe …. Lots and lots and lots of bracelets and a statement necklace…the ring that can be seen from far away …when I used to work in the corporate world … sometime I decided my outfit based on what shoe I wanted to wear that day … I know … kind of crazy…

·       I love hiking …there is nothing better than a good long hike to clear your mind and thoughts …in fact … it was one of those about a year ago exactly when I decided to start my own brand…

·       Wine … you need to wine in your life …I love going up to the wine county here in the Sonoma / Napa Valley area …

·       I can’t live without my tunes …. Currently I have my top 5 on my playlist…Adele, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber , Coldplay, Gwen Stefani…. And as my background music playing right now is european lounge tunes … calm … yet with a good beat…

·       I grew up in a little village in Finland on a farm …yes… quite a long way to make it over here and starting my own brand !

·       I love to travel ….most of my inspiration comes from my travels… to Europe … to India …and of course my home county …

·       I can’t live without my korean skin products …skinfood is my absolute favorite…

·       I have 2 black cats … they keep me entertained …

·       I love having a good laugh… keeps me going thru out the day….

 If you would like to learn more about Marita and her amazing line click here Also stay tuned because I have a few more exciting post featuring her line!! Make sure to follow her on Facebook and Instagram to get updates!