Creating jobs with ANNANSTANS collection

When traditional techniques meet modern expressions, the outcome is a contemporary collection ranging from cushion covers and bags, to ceramic bowls and banana fiber baskets. For designer Martin Bergström, doing his second collection for IKEA, part of the job description has been to challenge the traditions.

“For me, the big question has been how we can bring our differences together and make them work. We’ve all been pushing our boundaries, mixing my ideas with the artisans’ traditions and handicraft skills until we got just the right feeling to each and every item”, says Martin and adds:

“When I look at ANNANSTANS I see a collage of colours and patterns – where the patterns are the common thread. Some items match, and some don’t. That adds a nice layer of unexpectedness to it all.”

The textiles’ bright and vivid patterns are enhanced by hand embroidery. Mixing printed and handmade elements isn’t only a way of creating jobs while making sure that the price in store will be affordable – it’s a great way to create one-of-a-kind objects.

Karin Gustavsson is Creative Leader for the upcoming collection. She loves the fact that so much of the collection is crafted by hand, making every piece unique:

“Even if the design has a modern, urban expression, we could never have done it with a sewing machine”, she says.

With ANNANSTANS, IKEA continues the collaboration with social entrepreneurs around the world – producing precious, handcrafted objects while creating jobs for people in vulnerable communities.

The collection will be available for a limited time starting in 2019.