The rug in the MARKERAD collection, with its clear written mottos, was part of a collaboration IKEA began in 2017 with Virgil Abloh, American designer, multi-creator and DJ. At the time he was one of the hottest names in fashion, best known for his work with his own brand and international fashion houses.
With this collaboration, IKEA wanted to bring a bit of street fashion into Swedish homes, and the temporary collection MARKERAD received a lot of attention. As well as the rugs the collection also included a chair, a table, a bed and a glass-door cabinet, along with furnishing details such as a backlit picture and a wall clock. All in all there were 15 items, many of which sold out instantly.
MARKERAD started from a classic, minimalist design, spiked with rebellious details. Virgil Abloh’s famous quotation marks were repeated throughout the collection, adding a feeling of humour and warm irony.
“It’s great that MARKERAD is now ready to meet the world, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the everyday objects become a part of people’s homes, and hopefully add an emotional value. In the same way you can hang a work of art on a wall, art can also be incorporated into things like a chair, a table or a rug. That was my starting point when I created this collection in association with IKEA,” said Virgil Abloh on the launch of the collection.
“Our collaboration has been characterised by curiosity about each other’s ‘playing fields’ and a genuine willingness to try new approaches. By letting our different takes on design meet, we challenged each other to think differently. The result is a collection I feel is bold and contemporary, and carries a message for our time,” said Henrik Most, creative leader at IKEA of Sweden.
The rugs became one of the greatest successes in the collection. The rug with the print KEEP OFF sold out directly. More rugs gradually joined the collection, including one saying WET GRASS and another in the form of a gigantic IKEA receipt.
MARKERAD was sold in limited numbers at six IKEA stores between September 2018 and February 2020.
