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There’s no better feeling than finding a pair of jeans that fits just right. Well, actually, there is one: knowing that all the extra scrap denim from the factory is going to good use. As a part of its second global social entrepreneurship collection, dubbed Mävinn, IKEA collaborated with Vietnam-based company Saitex, which trains and employs people with different abilities and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, to make chic home products out of preconsumer textile waste.
“Denim is so durable and super-long-lasting, and it gets more beautiful the more you use it,” says Paulin Machado, who oversaw the creation of the collection with fellow IKEA designer Maria Vinka. A handy wall organizer with plenty of pockets was a natural fit for the assortment. “We’re both craftspeople, so for us it’s important to have a place for stuff like big scissors and pens,” adds Machado.
The 43-inch-long hanging storage staple will retail for a mere $20 once the full line hits stores and the website this June (the Mävinn collection as a whole consists of 20 handmade items from seven different social-good businesses across Asia). And while you can definitely use it for miscellaneous art supplies and tools, an organizer like this works wonders in multiple spots:
- On the back of a bathroom door (your Dyson hair dryer will fit snugly inside)
- In the closet as a catchall for sunglasses, belts, and small bags
- In the garage, pockets filled with your nails, screwdrivers, and the like
Other denim gems include a hardworking apron, which Vinka points out can be used in the kitchen, garage, or garden, and a striped cushion cover. Machado also loves how the woven pendant shades turned out—they’re made out of 100 percent banana fiber from India. “When they harvest bananas, they’re left with the whole trunk and the bark,” she explains. “Through different processes, they’re able to make it into thin strips that can be braided.” When the waste bin is a little less full, our homes are a lot happier.