IKEA launch today its most hyped collaboration with world renowned creative Virgil Abloh, artistic director of Louis Vuitton\u2019s menswear line and founder of Milan based label Off-White. Aimed at students and home owners moving into their first home, the Swedish home furnishing retailer named the collection MARKERAD, which means \u2018clear cut\u2019 or \u2018crisp\u2019 in Swedish.<\/p>\n
Virgil, alongside IKEA\u2019s creative team conducted extensive research into the lives of young adults, in order to help understand their needs as they move out on their own for the first time. Over several workshops at IKEA\u2019s design centre in \u00c4lmhult, Sweden, they worked together to develop sketches and prototypes, physically shaping the products themselves in their workshop.<\/p>\n
The range created is a collection of everyday items such as a day bed, table, chair, mirror, rug, bed textiles, cabinet and accessories that have been turned into design icons. The inspiration behind creating these statement pieces was to help any home stand out and add an artful quality to regular items. Abloh created the collection to align with IKEA’s “Democratic Design\u2019\u2019 concept of keeping it affordable, functional and high on quality.<\/p>\n
Amongst the 15 pieces is the FRAKTA bag, which has been redesigned in yellow instead of the original blue and embossed with the text \u2018SCULPTURE\u2019, a grass carpet that reads \u2018WET GRASS\u2019, a numberless clock with a face that says \u2018TEMPORARY\u2019 and the known toolbox that reads \u2018HOMEWORK\u2019\u2019, with the quotation slogan that has become a signature of the designer\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
Other designs include a glass cabinet with handles that resemble red nails, a wooden chair that comes with a triangular red doorstop attached and a mirror fragmented into different angles that looks like it has an intentional crack in the corner.<\/p>\n
“I’m so excited that MARKERAD is now ready for people to enjoy. I look forward to seeing how these everyday objects will enter people’s homes and hopefully add an emotional value to them, this has been the ethos of the whole collection. I want each item to bring people a sense of pride, and I want the great design to be the biggest reason why they buy it,” said Abloh<\/strong><\/p>\n