The high-end fashion house and the furniture retailer are having a bit of a “flirt”.
If you’ve been keeping up with fashion news, you will have seen Balenciaga’s newest bag – which some have claimed is a direct knock-off of a blue Ikea shopping bag – doing the rounds last week.
Naturally the internet went nuts over how similar the bags were, and at first glance they do appear to be almost the same in that they are both large roomy trapezoid-shaped totes in an eye-popping shade of blue.
However, it was the massive price differences between the two that had everyone taking aim at the high-end designer brand: Balenciaga’s “Arena” tote retails for US$2,145 versus Ikea’s trusty “Frankta” shopper which can be bought for just 99 cents.
HAHAHAHAHA Balenciaga Is Selling the Ikea Tote for $2,145: https://t.co/BemTr6ttw4 via @TeenVogue pic.twitter.com/FvO3ag9EKa
— Thuy Ong (@ThuyOng) April 19, 2017
Who wore it better? Balenciaga or IKEA? pic.twitter.com/LCB9Qri2xN
— Mikael Pawlo (@mpawlo) April 18, 2017
But before we get all bothered by designers taking the proverbial, let’s take a moment to remember Balenciaga is headed up by Demna Gvasalia, whose other label Vetements is renowned for its creative high-low collaborations with brands like DHL, Champion and Levis.
Rather than take offence at the designer “copy”, Ikea appear to be taking the whole thing in their stride.
“We are deeply flattered that the Balenciaga tote bag resembles the Ikea iconic sustainable blue bag for 99 cents. Nothing beats the versatility of a great big blue bag!” the company wrote in response to the bag’s debut a few days ago.
Now the Swedish furniture and homeware giant has taken things one step further, and come back with their own take, running an ad on its website and social media channels that tells shoppers how to “spot” the real big blue bag vs the Balenciaga version.
Instagram.com/acnecollective
It features a picture of the shiny blue tote with the words “How to identify an original Ikea Frakta Bag.” Below there is a numbered list: “1) Shake it. If it rustles, it’s the real deal. 2) Multifunctional. It can carry hockey gear, bricks, and even water. 3) Throw it in the dirt. A true Frakta is simply rinsed off with a garden hose when dirty. 4) Price tag. Only $0.99.”
Johan Holmgren, creative director at advertising agency ACNE, who devised the ad campaign for IKEA, told Creativity he appreciated the nod from the fashion house.
“It’s unexpected and brilliant,” he said. “I like the flirt, and I thought, ‘Why not flirt back?’ And we did.”
