About

We're a small company based in Viljandi, Estonia, focusing on ethical textiles and homeware. We hope to contribute to the change in the textile industry, and provide the world with some beautiful sustainable homeware to enjoy. Our designs are inspired by our region's natural beauty.

Liinamikkal OU was established by Mari Valdur, PhD, who is trained as an ecologist and social anthropologist, and previously worked in academia. During the pandemic she moved back to Estonia and unexpectedly fell for the town of Viljandi, where she now lives. The name of liinamikkal gives a nod to this, including her maternal grandfather's last name – Mikkal. The name was not carried on by anyone because her grandparents were survived by four daughters. Mari’s grandfather was from the county of Viljandimaa, around 40 km from the regional centre Viljandi, where the company are now based. The speakers of South Estonian, including our regional Mulk dialect, will recognise the name to mean ‘the town’s Mikkal’.

To the mainstream Estonian speakers, the name probably comes across as a woman’s name, which we welcome as a sort of a pseudonym to all the women’s work that goes into bringing our products to life. It seemed appropriate that our brand name should reflect the company's identity and destiny beyond anyone who initially started it. This is because already at these early stages, liinamikkal has been a real team effort.