retail

Ikea Teams Up With Adidas, Lego

While it’s too soon to say where the collaborations will lead, Ikea says it is teaming up both Adidas and Lego, introducing new products for the home.

At Ikea’s Democratic Design Days, Adidas showed a video highlighting the challenges faced by at-home exercisers, from cramped spaces to overly participative toddlers and affectionate dogs. 

“We want to make it easier for people to explore sports in their home environment,” says Josefine Aberg, vice president design, training, Adidas, speaking during the livestream. “How can we facilitate that?”

Many people prefer working out at home, says Marcus Engman, Ikea’s head designer. “It’s cheaper, and most people have a lack of time.” That pressure seems to be felt more by women, and he says one of the possibilities is “a collection by women, for women.”

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He says the two companies are looking at more than just equipment and the design of workout spaces, including eating and sleeping solutions. “Training completely means thinking holistically,” he says. 

Adidas’s “Calling all creators” makes it a natural fit for the partnership. “We take an open-source approach to innovation, inciting the creators to shape the future of the brand. We see these values in Ikea. And we believe in the power of sport and changing lives, and we see a real synergy with Ikea in democratic design. And there is no company that better understands in-home behavior than Ikea.”

Ikea also announced a design partnership with Lego “to enable many more opportunities for play.” While 95% of parents agree that play is essential for their children’s development, “kids like play, and adults like order.” Designers say they hope to have products to show at next year’s event.

Ikea, the world’s largest furniture brand, generates 2.3 billion visits to its website each year, and 936 million store visits. The European Union is currently investigating the company in a tax-evasion probe.

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