IKEA–Nigel Xavier Earth Month Collaboration Promotes Eco

Nigel Xavier attends the IKEA Open House in Hollywood, Calif., where the designer unveiled a couch and pants that were created using upcycled fabrics from the company. Jason Sean Weiss/BFA.com

SUSTAINABILITY

Dorothy Crouch, Contributing Writer | Thursday, May 9, 2024

Earth Month 2024 might be finished, but IKEA’s April Open House in Los Angeles enlisted sustainability experts from different fields, including designer Nigel Xavier, to illustrate how to apply eco-friendly initiatives every day. Xavier reupholstered an armchair and created matching pants using textiles from the As-is section of IKEA’s Burbank, Calif., store. Items that are stocked in the Netherlands-headquartered IKEA’s As-is sections include discontinued goods, gently used products and components from past showroom displays.

“They reached out to me, and it was the perfect fit. They gave me the opportunity to take my creativity and bring my vision to IKEA,” said Xavier. “[My vision] was to take the fabrics that they’re not using anymore like tablecloths, pillow covers, curtains and things like that and patchwork them together onto one of my couches. I reupholstered a couch and created a whole different world with it.”

Although the event took place April 10 at nya studios in Hollywood, Calif., Xavier hopes the collection serves as an inspiration for applying recycling, reuse and ecological awareness throughout the year to support a circular economy in fashion.

“Everything has more life to it, even when you’re done with it,” explained Xavier. “You just got to have that eye. You got to have that vision of what else you can see for it.”

Xavier is known for his upcycling expertise, with a heavy reliance on denim, and secured his place as the season-two winner of Netflix’s “Next in Fashion” reality competition television series in 2023.

In addition to the Xavier collaboration, the IKEA Open House also featured collaborations with content creators Benji Le, who led planting demonstrations, and Nasim Lahbichi, who created plant-based IKEA dishes. IKEA also showcased its TESAMMANS limited-edition housewares collection, created with Dutch design studio Raw Color.