Off-White founder and famed designer Virgil Abloh and furniture giant IKEA have recently dropped their collaborative collection “MARKERAD”, designed for the fashion-forward minimalist millennials.
Virgil Abloh, now Louis Vuitton men’s artistic director, has been making waves in the fashion scene starting with his luxury streetwear label Off-White. Those familiar with the brand can identify the emblematic quotation marks and labels from a mile away. Labels are as literal as stitching the word “SCARF” onto scarves, and as ironic as slapping “FOR WALKING” onto thousand-dollar boots.
Staying true to his signature, the American designer used the same tongue-in-cheek typography style for his collab with IKEA. Named “MARKERAD”, the limited edition collection sees 15 contemporary pieces for the modern home with items bearing Virgil’s labels in quotes, like the “WET-GRASS” green rug and the minimalist “TEMPORARY” wall clock.
‘Markerad’ is a Swedish word that means “clear-cut,” “crisp,” or “pronounced”, which is synonymous with Virgil’s design approach. “In the same way you might hang a piece of artwork on your wall, art can bleed into objects like a chair, table or rug. That was my initial problem to solve when creating this collection together with IKEA,” says Virgil.
Other items in the collection include basic items a homeowner would seek for their new home — a chair, a table and a daybed. There are items like a toolbox, textile, art piece, cushion and a carry-all bag, small in size but capable of making a statement.
While the collection is budget-friendly, the resell price is what’s expected of items by Virgil Abloh. Also expected were the long lineups outside IKEA stores when the collection dropped this past October.