Pls. identify this Finnish dress by MARKETTA (possibly Marimekko?)

Hello All!

I thrifted this cotton dress from the 70s. There seems to be scant information on the Designer, however one re-seller mentions that Marketta was a sub-division of Marimekko until the early 70s.

I did browse through the various prints by Marimekko, and while there are some similarities, I couldn't identify or link this particular print or designer. The smaller tag reads "Front Page". Any thoughts or leads on the connection would be appreciated.

Thank you!

 

Can you post a photo of the rest of the label that has "Front" on it, or transcribe it and post that here?

 

Hi, I was having a hard time capturing the back, but it reads "Front Page"
Thank You.

 

Is there a number after the CA below Front Page? If not a number, what is after the CA?

 

CA 02179

 

CA 02179 is the Canadian Registration number for G. KOFFLER FASHIONS INC., which means this dress was imported into Canada and resold under the label Front Page. I have run across the Front Page label before, in a blouse from the early 1950s, it's a Toronto based brand, but I don't know anything about G. Koffler Fashions Inc. There was never a store called Kofflers, so I suspect they were importers and distributors. There is a wealthy family by the name of Koffler in Toronto, but I don't think they are related as the famous Kofflers are stupid rich from having founded in 1921 Shoppers Drug Mart - the leading pharmaceutical chain across Canada. As for the Finnish name, I have run across several Marrimekko-like Finnish clothing labels, so I think it was a look that Finland specialized in for exports.

 

Hi, and thank you for this info. Very Interesting!
I've been running into a lot of Toronto-based vintage clothes, which I love, and did look up the Koffler Fashions Inc., but they seems to have closed down. As for the uber rich Koffler family you've mentioned, I wonder if they are the same ones who have a charitable foundation in Toronto, which sells high end vintage annually to raise funds. https://kofflerarts.org/Events/Fundraising-Events/Koffler-Couture

Half the fun scoring vintage items is the research and history. Thank you for the info!

 

That's funny because I ran into that Koffler vintage sale announcement and I had never heard of it before and I am pretty plugged into the Toronto vintage scene...

 

You will have to score yourself an invite this year!
I'm no vintage expert, other than having a simple intuitive love for all things past and using fashion as a creative outlet. But, I've been amazed and impressed at what a thriving textile and fashion industry we used to have in ON/QC. A lot of polyester, although that was the advent of 70s - petroleum byproduct usage, I suppose.

 

Thank you for the info! I do love the simplistic, minimalist, yet somehow elegant Scandanavian style. One can spot the "look" quality, and construction from a distance. However, I can't seem to pull off the look or do justice to the designer's vision, so I will continue to admire it from afar.