Zandra Rhodes to launch homeware with Ikea

Swedish homeware giant Ikea has announced that it is launching a collection of homeware products with British designer Zandra Rhodes that will be an exploration of “pattern and colour” as it looks to see what happens when colourful fashion prints are put into the home context.

Rhodes, known for her colourful and bold textile prints, will translate her signature style to “explore a variety of local pattern cultures from across the globe to put them into the home context through the seasons,” added Ikea in a statement.

Ikea, which has previous tapped fashion designers Virgil Abloh and British menswear designer Katie Eary, states that it doesn’t believe in perfect homes, but homes that are a “perfect reflection of the people who live inside” and it believes that “patterns and colour play an important role in creating that”.

Patterns and colours it adds can “alter the character of a space” in many ways, by visually changing the size of a room, as well as the atmosphere and even the light, and Ikea explained that both patterns and colour can be a “relatively easy and low-cost way to make a change, adapt to the seasons or tell a story of places you have been, what you like and who you are”.

Nils Larsson, creative leader at Ikea Range and Supply, added: “At Ikea, we are curious to deep dive into what makes a home feel like your home. And we know that patterns and colour add fun, energy, mood, atmosphere and personality to a space. Therefore we want to explore how to make textile prints and patterns more contemporary and connected to local cultures. And who better to do this together with, than the experienced, ultra-creative fashion designer Zandra Rhodes?”

Ikea taps British designer Zandra Rhodes for colourful collection

Commenting on her homeware collaboration, Rhodes said: “I initially started my career as a textile designer, studying Printed Textile Design at The Royal College of Art in London. Pattern and colour have always been two mediums synonymous with my work and are mostly associated with my fashion designs.

“What a fabulous opportunity to re-imagine my designs into homeware products working with the worlds leading furniture retailer and icon, Ikea. I hope to bring my passion for textiles, print and colour to this global market drawing inspiration from my distinctive style and love of travel. What an exciting adventure for The House of Zandra Rhodes!”

Exact details of the collection have not yet been released, as to whether the collection will just be for textiles or span across furniture, crockery and lighting, or even the release date and the countries that will be selling the collaboration.

2019 is a big year for the pink-haired British designer, earlier this year she celebrated 50 years in fashion, and in September, London’s Fashion and Textile Museum will pay homage to her career with the most comprehensive retrospective exhibition into her unique use of bold prints. Zandra Rhodes: 50 Years of Fabulous will open on September 27.

Images: courtesy of Ikea