Last night, Virgil Abloh unveiled a preview of his Ikea collaboration on a YouTube live-stream. Joined by an Ikea representative, Abloh reiterated that every product shown was just a prototype that would continue to be workshopped over the next couple of weeks before being fully released this summer. The first item? A doorstop.
Why? “I had this image of an aeroplane wheel and two chocks to stop it,” Abloh said. “The person who designed the chock is equally powerful because it can stop a plane in its tracks.” From there, the idea of celebrating “no-name design” or “silent, invisible optics” came to be the main theme of the collection, with that red doorstop taking on multiple uses. A wood Shaker-style chair, which might be designed for the recycled acrylic market, has three even legs and one that is cut shorter. To make it even, simply place the doorstop under the abbreviated leg.
The rest of Abloh’s collection is intentionally easy. “I want to embed an artistic quality in things you already have,” said Abloh, going on to explain that the collection would be tested inside a dorm room or a millennial’s apartment. The goal, as he tells it, is to allow the young (and maybe broke), to feel the same sense of pride about their interiors as they feel about their sneakers. “Look at the positive side of the word hype,” he began, walking over to a display case designed for the collaboration filled with Nike x Off-White sneakers. “When it’s applied to a shoe, as you can see here, they’re just sneakers. But, as you can also see here, there’s a halo.” The mission of the display case is to allow people to display their beloved items with the same prestige as a work of art.
In addition to the door-stop, chair, and case, there are also rugs—or tapestries, depending on where you put them—shoulder bags, and further items to be announced. Ikea and Abloh promise a follow-up on the project at Ikea’s Democratic Design Days on June 7th. Introducing- ‘Markerad.’
credits: Vogue
