Something funny caught our eye in one of our usual newsletters-that-we-subscribe-to-because-sometimes-they-look-nice: IKEA has created a garment combining the best (or worst) features of things you keep around your house to keep cosy.
It’s a throw blanket with arm holes and a zipper, which of which the designer says, “I wanted to create a new kind of throw that you could also wear.” Of course, what she’s describing is a Snuggie.
For those who may not be familiar with Snuggies, they’ve been a staple of low-brow America over the past decade. Quite simply cheap fleece blankets with sleeves, the Snuggie became a symbol of couch potato culture on par with the microwave meal. They’ve sold in the millions (likely usually purchased as a silly gift), populating end-caps at Walmarts and late-night cable adverts.
IKEA has essentially taken an item whose target market is the lower-middle class and repackaged it for the design savvy market for twice the price—a common occurrence in our consumerist culture. It happens at the IKEA/Snuggie level, and on a massive scale as well (erm, Apple).
So when you’re snuggling up in IKEA’s new wearable throw—a hip, designer Snuggie—or eating granola that’s three times the price because it says ‘organic’, just be aware of the class lines brands draw between us every day. But hey, keep cosy, too.
