History

It all began with buttons. And it all started with a real need: Kaija Aarikka, then a textile arts student at the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki, was unable to find any buttons to go with a dress she had designed. So she made them herself. From these fun and original buttons the story quickly went on to include jewellery. And February 24, 1954 went down as the day that Aarikka was born.

Round shapes appealed to Kaija Aarikka from the very beginning. The buttons and wooden jewellery were followed by silver jewellery, candle holders, toys, gifts and home decoration products. Aarikka back then was original, bold and natural, as it is to this day. We are still inspired by round shapes as well as by the other characteristic elements in Aarikka products: vibrant colour, cosiness and joy.

After the company's founder Kaija Aarikka, Aarikka’s design was headed by Pauliina Aarikka, daughter of Kaija. Over the decades, Aarikka’s in-house designers have also been joined by many guest designers such as Aino Favén, Jorma Vennola, Jukka Rintala, Tuula Falk, Markku Salo, Paola Suhonen, Anna Ruohonen, Anu Leinonen, Kalle Kuusela, Elina Helenius, Kaisli Kiuru, Anneli Aaltonen and Eero Sairanen. Each of them has left their own mark on Aarikka’s language of design.

Take a tour at the Aarikka museum! Our virtual museum contains fascinating and cheerful excerpts from the past: newspaper and magazine articles, advertisements, product images, and stories from Aarikka’s journey and Finnish design, over a period spanning six decades. Many of the pieces in the museum awaken memories and a sense of familiarity, but do you remember the brass waistcoat from the 1960s or the silver tie from the 1970s? What about the Palloshakki chess game or the mobile phone stand?