IKEA and Katie Eary Present GITLIG
Contemporary audiences are open to unexpected, cross-pollinated branding; the GITLIG collection could be read as a direct response to this shift in consumer attitudes
Modern day consumers are more receptive than ever to unexpected, cross-pollinated branding; the union of IKEA and Katie Eary could be read as a direct response to this shift in consumer attitudes.
Swedish furniture and homeware giants IKEA are renowned for creating minimal, ready-to-assemble furniture pieces that fit seamlessly into almost any home. And a stroll through any one of their 384 stores reveals a range of products drawn from a generally muted colour palette.
Therefore, it makes sense that the company’s first collaboration with a designer should mark a dramatic departure from their signature aesthetic; and in teaming up with British menswear designer Katie Eary to create a collection dubbed GITLIG, they have done just that.
GITLIG is comprised of colourful dinnerware, homeware and furniture spotted with imagery that would not look out of place in a LSD-fuelled Hunter S Thompson novel. Cat’s eyes, oversized fish, brains and bloodied vampire’s teeth feature prominently.
Katie Eary is noted for her subversive and unapologetically flamboyant menswear designs. The Royal College of Art graduate also has a creative relationship with Kanye West – the rapper-cum designer professed his admiration for her work - that dates back to 2011.
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