Adored by millennials, solicited by the hippest brands, recently appointed artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear... Nothing can stop Virgil Abloh! The founder of the “Off-White” label has several strings to his bow and he proves it once again, through this collaboration with IKEA. After revisiting the famous blue "Frakta" shopping bag in 2017, he reiterates and signs this time for the Swedish giant, an entire collection of furniture and decorative objects. “Virgil Abloh has been of interest to us for a while. He is a multi-creative personality who ignores boundaries and is connected with the youth, their needs and their desires,” says Henrik Most, creative leader at Ikea Range and Supply.
This unprecedented collaboration, soberly baptized "Markerad", has the watchwords of practicality, design and art. Intended for "millennials", it should be within reach of all budgets.
On Monday April 30, we were able to get a glimpse of it thanks to a live streaming broadcast on the Swedish brand's blog. Thus, from New York, the multi-talented designer enthusiastically unveiled the first prototypes of the products that will make up this line. On the program:a matte red door stopper that the designer suggests pairing with a Scandinavian-inspired chair, a glazed storage unit to "display your favorite sneakers and other valuables like true works of art", the IKEA's iconic blue bag revisited in beige tones with the inscription "Sculpture" and finally two carpets that Virgil Abloh proposes to hang on the wall. Yes, for this collection, he did not omit his great signature:diversion.
Through this project, the trained architect wanted to "integrate an artistic vision into the objects we already have" and at first glance, the mission is rather successful! No doubt this should appeal to Generation Y.
For the moment, the only announced release date is 2019. However, after the live streaming, Virgil Abloh promised to reveal more on June 7, so see you on the IKEA website next month!
