The blue Frakta bag, which can be purchased at every IKEA shop around the globe, has become a classic in the world of product design. The Swedish company has now teamed up with a Singapore-based firm to reinvent the bag and turn it into a travel pillow.
What would you call a classic Frakta bag-turned-travel-pillow? The Resten, of course. The already iconic product is the result of a collaboration between IKEA and creative agency The Secret Little Agency. The choice for a company in Singapore isn’t a random one, given the fact that it is considered one of the world’s most sleep-deprived countries according to YouGov Surveys.
With that in mind, the designers took the original Frakta and made some alterations by adding soft textiles and stuffing, so it could become a fashionable portable pillow. One that still allows you to transport your belongings inside but also gives you the chance to take a little nap while commuting, all while being comfortable. While the handle of the bag reads “leave the rest to IKEA”, your belongings on the inside aren’t just protected by a big bunch of squishy material but also by a zip which keeps everything from falling out.
“We selected fabrics that felt like bedsheets when touched – smooth, soft and comfortable,” Nicholas Ye, The Secret Little Agency’s chief creative officer, told Dezeen. “The bag is something you can comfortably rest on, even in the least comfortable or unexpected spaces. We wanted to give the ever-hardworking, iconic blue Frakta a rest in Singapore.”
Sadly for all those who are already getting excited about purchasing the limited-edition bag, the Resten can’t simply be bought at your local IKEA store. The only ways to get your hands on a pillow bag are by participating in one of the social media competitions or going to IKEA Singapore’s upcoming Restfest, an event organised by the Swedish furniture dealer from 6 to 8 September.
The collab with The Secret Little Agency isn’t Frakta’s first makeover. The classic blue shopping tote is often the subject of IKEA’s collaborations, whether it be with Balenciaga (resulting in a bag worth thousands) or with guest designers such as Virgil Abloh or Swedish House Mafia.
