This is us
Established in 1985 by a couple, designer and pioneer of the Finnish rag rug Eija Rasinmäki and businessman Erkki Immonen, Finarte designs and manufactures affordable, sustainable rugs which balance a traditional Finnish weaving heritage with a contemporary Nordic design sensibility.
Accompany us on our journey – travel the world with us.
A story of creativity, traditions and global spirit
Our story started 50 years ago, in 1970, when my mother Eija Rasinmäki was gifted a handloom by my grandmother. Having a strong calling to create and weave, Eija started her life as an artist and entrepreneur at the age of twenty five. Creating a collection of new-era rag rugs, the traditional Finnish cotton rug, her rugs and tapestries quickly became sought-after pieces that were sold to numerous countries. Fifty years later, she is known for her extensive work for Finnish textile – a pioneer of making the “rag rug” a statement design piece.
The family-owned company grown out of love
In the early 1980’s Eija, a single-mother of my eldest sisters Eriikka and Ulrika and by then a successful entrepreneur, went to a history-making opening party in the Finnish town of Kotka. It was hosted by “the most sought-out bachelor” in the area, businessman Erkki Immonen. These two very diverse people hit it off despite being like the moon and the sun. They formed a unique partnership that for many surprise is still strong today.
My parents, see, they’re an odd couple. Starting from a mismatch in their physical appearance, their thought processes are not, let’s say, identical – imagine an accountant and an artist together. Yet, they saw something in each other. I’m grateful for that, because in 1985 my sister Laura was born and myself in 1988. Imagine, my mum was 43 when she had me! Now we are a close-knit bunch of four sisters (two from my mother’s earlier marriage), with a maximum age gap of 21 years. As the youngest, I feel privileged to not have only one mother, but a herd of sisters to guide me.
While all these births and love stories were evolving, my parents also had an idea – why not spread the joy of rag rugs to the world and make these rugs in many.
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end
In 1985, my parents established Finarte and began production in Europe, with its own factory in Porto, Portugal. We lived in Portugal until the early 90’s. I took my first steps on the beautiful streets of Porto, with my Portuguese godmother holding my hand. Faint memories and pictures tell me that it was a good time in our family.
Well, all good things come to an end. Things backfired and my parents had to stop production in Porto. We produced our rugs mainly to the Finnish market, but Finland was facing the toughest economic recession in its history 1990–1993. The recession had a dire effect on our family, like many others families as well.
Sometimes life has its mysterious ways. After a tough year, an opportunity raised. An Indian skilled manufacturer had invited my mother numerous times to design and work together after seeing her work at different fairs and exhibitions. It seemed like a miracle – soon after the shut down in Porto, my parents were embarking on a new journey to India. They started developing, training and teaching the weavers in Sitapur, spreading the knowhow and intricacies of Finnish cotton rugs and Eija’s designs.
This early collaboration grew into a life-long exchange of ideas and inspiration, about everything from manual weaving techniques to novel, reusable materials, to the point where these selfsame rug makers are still Finarte’s main production partners. I remember the frequent trips my parents took, the long-distance calls and the inevitable missing albeit we had the greatest people around us. When my parents came back, I would sniff all their clothes and suitcases that carried the mystical, spicy scent of India.
A home away from home
Things started running surprisingly smoothly both in India and Finland. I took my first trip to India at the age of seven and I remember flying back alone from there at the age of ten.
Personally I was enchanted by the diverse culture and work in India. By the time I was a teenager, I wanted to experience it more in depth. We started making the necessary arrangements and found a school for me. I and my mother Eija packed our bags and moved to India more permanently. While I studied in a local high school and lived at the boarding school on the outskirts of Delhi, Eija spent her weeks at the factory in Biswan designing and teaching. There was no question about it: India was an inseparable part of our lives.
Evolving into the second generation of family business
"Our history goes back to 1970, when my mother, Eija Rasinmäki, was gifted a handloom by my grandmother. She was 25, fueled by a calling to weave, and she eventually turned the traditional Finnish 'rag rug' into a global statement piece. Finarte was born in 1985 from an 'odd couple' love story - my mother, the artist, and my father, Erkki, the businessman. They were like the moon and the sun, but they shared a vision: to spread the joy of Finnish weaving to the world.
From the cobblestone streets of Porto to the mystical, spicy scents of Sitapur, India, my childhood was a map of our production journeys. I grew up sniffing my parents' suitcases when they returned from the factories, carrying the stories of the master weavers who are still our partners today.
In 2016, I took the reins from my father. Today, Finarte is more than a company; it is our life’s work. It is a lifestyle of creativity, a commitment to sustainability, and a legacy of bringing softness into professional and personal spaces alike."
Larissa Immonen-Sharma
This is our warp and this is our weft
The family-owned company has grown out of love – the love for handmade, well-designed rugs and the love between two souls. Now a lifelong commitment in two-generations, Finarte carries on the same ethos with the same passion as forty years ago.
Finarte continues to produce rugs that reflect a careful balance of heritage and creativity, tradition and modernity, innovative design and reusable materials, east and west, a balance that can be seen in the textures, colors, shapes and forms found throughout our product lines.
Explore our collections – from Finarte’s own range to The Heritage Collection by Kutomo Rasinmäki x Finarte, featuring unique art textiles by Eija Rasinmäki, made in Finland.
