Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
AUGUST 2012
For more information on this press kit, please contact:
Tracy Pang
03-77207272
Tracy.pang@ikano.asia
Nurliyana Azman
03-77207257
Nurliyana.azman@ikano.asia
IKEA STOCKHOLM throw RM159.
PE319447
Take no
textile
for granted
Stop for a second and imagine a world without textiles. No plush towels after a shower.
No cushion shields during scary movies. No childhood blanket forts. No sheets drying
in the summer breeze. No pillows at the end of a long day.
Doesn’t sound like a soft and cosy world, does it? At IKEA this year, we’re celebrating
textiles for making life comfortable, snuggly, lively, creative, personal and easy.
This year, we won’t take textiles for granted and we won’t make them too complicated.
That’s one reason textiles are so great – they’re an affordable, attractive, quick and
easy change at home. Refresh a sofa with cushions or throws. Switch out curtains
instead of repainting a room. Change can be as small and simple as swapping out the
sheets.
Blankets, curtains, cushions, towels, metre fabrics, rugs and more – inside you’ll
find more information about textiles at IKEA including news, textile development,
quality and safety testing, sustainability, social responsibility, textile milestones
and some creative encouragement. Grab a blanket and let’s get inspired to share
and spread the love for textiles!
Let’s make
things
personal
Customise your tablecloths with paint
or cover an entire table or chest of
drawers in metre fabric. Decorate
stools with woven ribbon. Wrap a chair
with textile pieces. Once your mind
starts rolling with creative textile ideas,
it may not stop!
PE291830
03
02
04
02 EMMIE SOT quiltcover and 2 pillowcases, single size RM129/set A linen cabinet isn’t just pretty, it helps
50% lyocell. 50% cotton. Quilt cover W150xL200cm. Pillowcase W50xL80cm. Multicolour.
keep things organised so you can
change quilts during the seasons to
keep the bed warm or cool.
EMMIE textile collection, PE323322 HENRIKA throw RM69 88% acrylic, 12% polyester.
W120xL180cm. Pink.
PE323257
03
AINA curtain, PE323253
Follow the
threads
Like all IKEA products, we care about how textiles are priced, designed, produced,
transported and sold. Blankets, bath mats, duvet covers, curtains, rugs, towels, metre
fabrics and more – no matter the textile product, the design and production process
follows the same general steps.
In creating textile patterns, IKEA designers have their own styles. Some work directly
on computers; others start with sketches, watercolours or even cut paper shapes.
Their inspirations come from history, memories, a moment, a movie, whatever!
Such diverse inspirations and working styles lead to a wide range of textiles that suit
different customers’ tastes. Colours for textiles are chosen to make it easier to mix
and match textiles while keeping things coordinated. We do this across the store,
too, so you’ll often see the same colours or colour tones throughout the range.
Once a textile prototype is made, the team evaluates it for improvements and tweaks
in design, materials, production, etc. Sometimes these ideas and innovations happen MALIN FIGUR cushion cover RM25 100% ramie. MALIN FRANSAR cushion RM45 100% cotton,
W50xL50cm. Multicolour. 100% polypropylene. W65xL30cm. PE306817
directly on the factory floor. Before getting a green light, prototypes are tested against PE316315
international quality and safety standards, as well as IKEA unique requirements. When
a design is final, materials and suppliers are secured. All suppliers meet IWAY, the IKEA
code of conduct on child labour, forced labour, environment, health and safety.
And of course, clever packaging is key, so more products go onto each pallet and into
each truck, train or container. Fewer journeys mean less fuel, emissions and lower
costs.
Rub it, pull it,
wash it, burn it!
When you snuggle up to a soft blanket, tickle your toes in a plush rug or towel
off after a soothing shower, you don’t think about the textiles you’re touching.
Textiles should be durable, strong, colourfast, free from chemicals and fire
resistant. Why worry about it? That’s why we’ve done worrying for you since
1965 by testing textiles to fulfill strict requirements that guarantee quality
and safety.
In their development stages, every textile product is tested at the IKEA TestLab in
Älmhult, Sweden, against various European and international safety and quality
standards, as well as IKEA-unique criteria. Before the tests start, textiles bathe in
a climate-controlled room. Then they’re cut into smaller pieces, since most textiles
will undergo at least 15 or more tests.
In this durability test for abrasion, fabric is rubbed to see the what extent it pills and fuzzes during
Depending on the type of textile, it will be rubbed, pulled, washed, burned, wear.
etc., to evaluate:
2. Strength - How strong a fabric is relates to tear and tensile strength that
measures at which point the threads break. 7. Slippage - How much a fabric’s seam or weave shifts or slides is
measured by pulling its edges.
3. Washing properties - How much a fabric shrinks during washing and its
general appearance are tested by measuring a fabric pre and post machine 8. Chemical presence - How prone a fabric may be to cause skin irritation
wash. is tested by examining pH levels and presence of formaldehyde.
4. Colour fastness - How much a dye can withstand colour changes brought 9. Fire resistance - How flammable a fabric is depends on its material,
about by daylight, washing and rubbing are tested in different processes. weight, structure, surface and finish. Various flammability tests are
conducted based on country regulations.
5. Pilling - How much a fabric resists pilling, fuzzing and the like are tested
by rubbing a sample against a standard wool fabric. More tests are often done, like water absorption in towels or strength of
soft toys. It all depends on the textile. But one thing’s the same – all IKEA
6. Construction - How a fabric is constructed is described by counting textiles are tested for quality and safety. We’d rather you worry about
threads per centimetre, weight per square metre and yarn count. finding a snuggly blanket than if it will lose its colour in the wash!
Sustainably
soft
Creating a better everyday life for the many people includes doing what we
can to help create a world where we take better care of the environment and
the earth’s resources. Sometimes we are part of the problem, but we work
hard to be part of the solution. Here are some ways we’re working with
environmental sustainability and textiles.
A cosier life
since the start
From shaggy rugs of the ‘70s to pop homages of the early´90s, styles and functions
of texiles have changed throughout the history of IKEA. But the importance of textiles
never changed and it never will. Here are some textile-related IKEA milestones.
1949 IKEA sells textiles in the form of upholstered armchairs, sofas, neckties,
socks, etc., through mail order
1965 To show a complete room and what textiles add, the first roomsets are
designed for the new Kungens Kurva store in Stockholm
1971 By this time a quarter of the IKEA revenue comes from textiles
1973 Denim goes from fashion to furniture with TAJT, a multifunctional seat/recliner
1973 The duvet cover arrives on the scene, making untidy beds look tidy
1995 First IKEA PS collection is released with two patterns by Tom Hedqvist
of 10 Gruppen
1996 IKEA releases original fabric patterns from the 18th century
1997 FAMNIG HJÄRTA cushion by Anna Efverlund is released and is still sold today
2003 Annual IKEA Soft Toy campaigns begin to raise funds for Save the Children
and UNICEF projects