PARIS — Guests kept an eye on their brand new Ikea x Virgil Abloh rugs, propped up against the edge of the dance floor at the Nuits Fauves, a club located on the ground level of the Cité de la Mode.
Part of the designer’s collaboration with Swedish retailer Ikea was available to purchase at an exclusive pop-up store on Friday evening, a full year before the official launch of the “Markerad” collection. The “Blue,” “Grey,” “Keep Off” and “Still Loading” rugs had been posted by Abloh on his Instagram account a couple of days before the event.
The four rugs, priced from 79 euros to 229 euros, were presented in a custom exhibition space. The “Blue” rug, which is actually red, was fastened to the ceiling of a tiny cubicle, while the “Still Loading” one was mounted on an easel.
Unsurprisingly the stock allocated for the evening cleared out fast, and guests were already speculating about the resell prices. The pop-up store would reopen the whole following day, ending at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Pieces from the full “Markerad” collection were also revealed during the evening: a mirror, a glass cabinet, a chair, a “Temporary” clock and two brown paper “Sculpture” shopping bags.
Music was played by DJs Benji B and Manaré Coly of Rinse FM, who put on a mix of tracks ranging from Michael Jackson to French rapper Booba. Food was classic Ikea: Meatballs, salmon canapés, veggie hotdogs and cinnamon rolls were devoured while perched on benches with foil-covered cushions.
The crowd was heavily Parisian. Model Dolores Doll posed for the photo-call, while Ibeyi vocalist Naomi Diaz hung out by the bar with friends. Canadian singer Coeur de Pirate stopped by for a drink.
Taking a break from working on their next album, Simon Buret and Olivier Coursier of French band AaRON marveled at the crowd’s energy. “Look at the way the kids are layering their clothes. Everything in fashion is being shaken up, and it looks super fresh,” Buret said. “We’re fans of Abloh’s concept. It’s great that such an underground culture has now been made more accessible.”