Big Blue

The Ubiquitous IKEA Bag Is Getting a Serious Makeover

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Ahh, the iconic blue IKEA bag: You may not know it by name (Frakta, if you're curious), but you almost certainly would recognize it by sight. And actually, we're guessing you probably own one or two. The huge, plastic, reusable shopping bag from the Swedish furniture retailer is hard to miss, thanks to its bright blue hue, fibrous plastic body, and hefty yellow straps. The IKEA bag been used many a time to lug home countless Ribba frames, Glimma tea lights, and Stockholm plates, just to name a few. Like everything at the store, the Frakta is both practical (it holds up to 19 gallons of stuff) and affordable (at just 99 cents) — although it might not be the most attractive item to be sporting over your shoulder. That is all about to change, however.

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Thanks to a design partnership with French retailer Colette, the big blue IKEA bag is getting a major makeover. According to Apartment Therapy, the newly designed bag will ditch the shocking all-over blue and IKEA-emblazoned handles — opting instead for an all-white background with Colette's signature blue dotted logo on one side and more blue polka dots on the other.

IKEA

This isn't the first time that the IKEA bag has gotten a makeover: Danish design brand HAY also reimagined the bag in a muted white-and-forest green color scheme, and swapped the plastic polypropylene with a woven fabric. That particular iteration of the bag will be available later this year.

Getting your hands on the Colette Frakta bag is a different story, though. It is already available Colette's Paris store — but if you don't find yourself in France anytime soon, you'll have to wait longer for the redesigned tote. The new Ikea bag, along with other select pieces reimagined by Colette Creative Director Sarah Andelman, will be available in IKEA stores in 2018.

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