Design

Ikea + top African designer’s much anticipated collaboration is it a new way to “exoticize” the African design ?

Artskop3437 / 2019-03-05

2 minutes read

The ‘Bench for More’ by Bethan Rayner and Naeem Biviji is inspired by a Kenyan evening ritual in which friends often gather, bringing their own chairs to talk about their day and life in general.

The very much anticipated collaboration between Ikea and Top African designers is now available. It is time now to the world to see how Africa can be inspired. But one question remains, as everyone is getting excited for this collaboration, Isn’t this a way to “exoticize” African creativity once again under the guise of an “ethnic” label in Ikea stores? Or isn’t this a new business model with Ikea sauce, designed to constantly provide new items for sale to the world? Who knows after Africa, why not Mexico, or Peru or Latin America? But do not get us wrong. Ikea is a noble model that makes design accessible to millions of people. But in order to rule, people has to buy it. We will be happy to read what you think.

South African designers Renee Rossouw and Sindiso Khumalo created textiles based on the African environment. Khumalo looked to South African cities – Johannesburg in particular – to generate her bold patterns, while Rossouw was interested in the form of the African elephant.

“The anticipated launch of Ikea’s Överallt homeware collection is described as a marriage between African rituals and Scandinavian design. Unveiled at Design Indaba in Cape Town last week, the project is a collaboration between the furniture giant’s in-house designers and a group of talented creatives from five African countries, including South Africa.”