It looks Ikea’s high fashion moment is getting a new lease on life with its latest iteration: a “fresh take” on the classic 99 cent Fratka shopping bag via Virgil Abloh’s fashion line Off-White. Both the designer and the store posted Instagram photos on their respective accounts showing new, more structural take on the classic carry-all tote from everyone’s favorite destination for build-it-yourself furniture and Swedish meatballs.
According to a press release from Ikea, the home goods super store is partnering with Abloh to “explore inspiring design for young people and their ‘first home,’ focusing on making it stylish yet inexpensive” and will launch in 2019. The collaboration follows Balenciaga designer Demna Gvasalia’s $2,145 remix of the Fratka, which in turn inspired a slew of DIY streetwear creations made of the famous polypropylene bag.
In a caption posted to Ikea’s Instagram account, Abloh shared his excitement for the collaboration.
“We’re in a moment where IKEA is transcending, and people are bringing this ‘do it yourself’ culture to the blue bag,” he wrote. “What I’m most interested in is doing that process in partnership with the brand. It’s allowing me to put my opinion on a classic. It’s unique, and distinctly as much of Off-White as it’s IKEA.”
So far it appears that Abloh’s take on the Fratka includes side wings and the word “sculpture” emblazoned on the side. What remains to be seen is if the high fashion makeover will also result in a high fashion price.
See Abloh’s fresh take on the Fratka below.
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