Ikea opens London pop-up dedicated to staple Frakta bag

Swedish homeware giant Ikea has unveiled a new Oxford Street pop-up dedicated to its iconic blue Frakta bag. London’s ‘Hus of Frakta’, open daily until March 2025, sits next to what will soon become Ikea’s permanent store, set to open in spring 2025.

In the space, Ikea offers special features to visitors, including a personalisation service in the ‘Atelier’ area, where customers can get bespoke lettering on their Frakta.

In the ‘Curated Collection’ area sit a selection of signature products, giving a glimpse as to what will be showcased in Ikea’s soon-to-be-opening permanent store, while the ‘Blue Edit’ serves as a gallery-esque space honouring the Frakta, taking on the essence of a concept store.

An immersive space towards the exit intends to evoke the feeling of entering a Frakta bag, Ikea said in a release, utilising an ASMR soundscape and mirrored walls with 3D lighting to achieve such a feat.

The idea to locate the pop-up on Oxford Street reflects Ikea’s intention to position the bag among other recognisable fashion players, including notable designer bag brands.

Efforts to turn the iconic accessory into a “fashionable” item of sorts has already been attempted by Ikea, which has previously partnered with the likes of Zandra Rhodes and Marimekko to reimagine the staple blue piece.

This pop-up, however, also plays into Ikea’s mission to continue building anticipation for its upcoming store, as affirmed by Ikea London city store manager, Matt Gould, who said: "We‘re incredibly excited to bring IKEA to Oxford Street and know there‘s plenty of anticipation for the store opening next year.

“In a playful tribute to this iconic location, we took inspiration from the world of fashion and blended it with our own principles of democratic design so the Frakta can be discovered like never before.”