The most unusual Christmas buying season campaign of the year has to be IKEA’s Hus of FRAKTA. It’s a luxury pop-up store on London’s Oxford Street dedicated to one of the most famous bags in the world, the blue IKEA FRAKTA. Mother and IKEA have placed the store in one of the world’s most fashionable streets and home to many iconic designer bags. The pop-up promotes the forthcoming opening of IKEA’s new Oxford Street store, creating an homage to its own icon, putting IKEA’s FRAKTA at the heart of London’s fashion district and sitting beside high-end favourites, at a FRAKTA of the price.
The pop-up is open daily until March 2025 at 216 Oxford Street – next door to what will be the new store when it opens in spring 2025.
A range of exciting features is included within the pop-up, among them an ‘Atelier’, where guests will be able to initial their FRAKTA bag with their own lettering. Personalisation of a large (75p) or medium (50p) bag will cost £3, or be free of charge to IKEA Family members, which is free to sign up to and offers a range of benefits. A ‘Curated Collection’ will offer a selection of some of the retailer’s most famous products for purchase and will give fans a taste of shopping at IKEA Oxford Street come spring 2025. Products include the RÄFFELBJÖRK vase, the NÖDMAST lamp and DOMSTEN stool.
A fittingly-themed ‘Blue Edit’ will also be present – a small display of curated products that pay tribute to the FRAKTA blue – in a gallery-esque dwell space inspired by high-end concept stores. The Edit displays some of the products that can be purchased within the ‘Curated Collection’.
On exiting the pop-up, guests will be treated to an experience that evokes the feeling of entering a FRAKTA bag, with an ASMR soundscape and mirrored walls with 3D lighting – followed by a ‘press for candyfloss’ wall where customers can enjoy a taste of blue candy floss on IKEA.
Matt Gould, IKEA London City store manager at IKEA, stated,”We‘re incredibly excited to bring IKEA to Oxford Street and know there‘s plenty of anticipation for the store opening next year. In a playful tribute to this iconic location, we took inspiration from the world of fashion and blended it with our own principles of democratic design so the FRAKTA can be discovered like never before.”
Meaning ‘to freight’ in Swedish, the FRAKTA bag was originally designed over three decades ago to help customers carry their purchases. Today it has become a cultural icon – reimagined by designers including Zandra Rhodes and Marimekko along the way. It’s not just a bag, it’s a symbol of resourcefulness and adaptability, reused by many in so many different ways from laundry basket to beach bag and even a trusty companion for city commuters.
Rooted in the five democratic design principles of IKEA – function, form, quality, sustainability, and affordability – the FRAKTA is available for just 75p. Nearly half of UK households (45%) own one, with many (31%) keeping theirs for over five years.
Credits
Brand: IKEA UK & Ireland
Marketing Communicaitons Manager: Kemi Anthony
Creative Agency: Mother
Creative: Mother
Stratgey: Mother
Produiction: StudioXAG
PR agency: Hope & Glory
