Without the past, the future makes no sense
10-gruppen, is an unmissable force in Swedish design history. They are collaborating with young in-house designers at IKEA to develop the AVSIKTLIG collection.
The story of 10-gruppen begins in Sweden in the 1970’s when ten young textile designers wanted to find a way for their work to reach out to customers despite the textile industry being in the midst of a crisis. They joined forces, established a company called 10-gruppen (or 10 Swedish Designers in English) and took control of the entire production process of their work.
In stark contrast to the discrete tastes at the time, 10-gruppen’s signature design was powerful and lively – every experience and any thought could be transformed into a playful pattern on textile. 10-gruppen broke away from conventions, challenging preconceived ideas about “good taste” and how things ought to be done. Their work was considered unsellable at the time, how history would prove this to be wrong!
This collection is not about nostalgia. 10-gruppen has always been progressive and curious about the future and what lies ahead.
They gained an international following, showing their work in New York as early as 1973 and maintaining a central presence on the Swedish design scene. IKEA collaborated with 10-gruppen as early as 1979.
As a Swedish home furnishing and design company, IKEA wants to strengthen and emphasize Sweden’s design heritage by collaborating with Swedish designers who have been barrier-breakers of their time.
First, it was ÖNSKEDRÖM, together with Olle Eksell’s widow and two of his students, which launched in April 2015. Then there was the VIKTIGT collection, designed with Ingegerd Råman, which recently launched. And now it’s AVSIKTLIG with 10-gruppen.
Design: Iina Vuorivirta
Design: Britt-Marie Christoffersson
But this collection is not about nostalgia. 10-gruppen has always been progressive and curious about the future and what lies ahead. The same could be said of the IKEA mentality.
At the heart of AVSIKTLIGT lies a collaboration between different designers of all ages and backgrounds. Three young IKEA designers – Hanna Dalrot, Ida Pettersson and Iina Vuorivirta – are working closely with original members of 10-gruppen. Leading the creative process is Tom Hedqvist, also an original member of 10-gruppen.
“10-gruppen has always attracted the young. I didn’t want that only we, the elderly, to create patterns for this collection – it felt important to bring in a new generation of designers, and mix things up” says Tom Hedqvist.
