A new limited-edition line of Texas-themed textile products handcrafted by refugees living in Austin is about to hit the shelves of IKEA's Houston store.
The HÅLLNING collection was created in a collaboration between IKEA, Austin's Multicultural Refugee Coalition and its subsidiary, Open Arms.
The new collection, available only at IKEA's Houston and Round Rock locations, consists of handmade cushion covers and wall decorations, available in two sizes and ranging from $14-18 for cushion covers to $29.99 for wall hangings. The pieces are crafted from reclaimed fabric from IKEA's "As-Is" area.
Artisans will meet customers Saturday (June 20) from noon - 3 p.m. at the Houston IKEA store, 7810 Katy Fwy., to highlight World Refugee Day and at the Round Rock store near Austin.
“We are so proud to offer these beautiful textiles to our Texas customers. IKEA is passionate about creating a better everyday life for the many people; this collaboration not only provides refugee women with a source of income, it provides local customers a unique, limited-edition product,” said IKEA Houston store manager Nabeela Ixtabalan.
Since 2012, IKEA has been creating partnerships with businesses across the world that focus on benefiting social issues and creating lasting change in their communities. Last fall, IKEA designers met with the Austin-based artisans of Open Arms and the Multicultural Refugee Coalition to agree on design and production standards. The line of products was created this spring at the Open Arms Shop in Austin.
Open Arms' mission is to provide living wage employment to refugee women living in Austin. Last fall, Open Arms merged with the Multicultural Refugee Coalition to become a non-profit social enterprise that not only provided living wage job opportunities but also a sustainable funding model for the whole organization, ultimately benefiting the entire refugee community. This video explains more about the project:
IKEA is introducing a limited-edition line of textile items crafted by refugees living in Austin, including a number of different pillow designs.
