Two years ago, IKEA started its journey together with ten African designers from different backgrounds and disciplines to collaborate on a new African collection! We here at Eva Sonaike were so excited about this is 2017 that we blogged about it the day after it was announced! Earlier this month, the finished results of the ÖVERALLT collection were launched at the Design Indaba Festival in Cape Town – the same spot where it all came to life two years ago.
Back in 20017 Marcus Engman, the Design Manager at IKEA said: “The creative explosion which is taking place around Africa right now is something IKEA is curious about. We want to learn from this and spread it to the rest of the world. Working together with these designers and creatives gives us the opportunity to do so.”
The collection features larger pieces of furniture, tableware, textiles, and a fashionably sustainable tote bag amongst others, was displayed within containers, having many festival visitors curious for more.
Designers include: Bibi Seck from Senegal - a product designer and teacher versed in a multitude of disciplines, ranging from automobiles to recycled furniture; Laduma Ngxokolo from South Africa - a knitwear designer promoting Xhosa culture on the international runways as well as creating socially conscious design; Paula Nascimento from Angola – who practises architecture, urbanism and cultural analysis with focus on finding creative solves for everyday urban development problems and Hend Riad and Mariam Hazem from Egypt – a designer duo with the desire to create responsible and thoughtful products, and to completely reform the way designers use and reuse materials.
“An object has the power to tell a story, or make sense of the world,” artist and designer, Renée Rossouw says, as she holds up the colourful, soft quilt that her, Sindiso and IKEA Designer, Johanna Jelinek have created. Fashion connoisseur, Laduma Ngxokolo speaks passionately about how grateful he is for this opportunity to bring his patterns to more people around the world. Female power duo behind Reform Studio, Mariam and Hend introduce their mission of upcycling, and always designing for a cause while their shimmery ÖVERALLT tote bags glisten out towards the audience.
The Design Indaba festival has come to an end, but the celebration of African design and their impact on the world are far from over. Time to toast to innovation, design and collaboration. Time to celebrate the final collection of ÖVERALLT, which will hopefully open more doors for designers and creatives from the continent.
Ravi Naidoo, the founder of Indaba sums it all up for us: “Africa is now. Our time has come.”
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