Ikea is entering the fitness world.
The home furnishings retailer is launching a 19-piece collection of products — called Dajlien, which means “daily” in Swedish — ranging from $4 to $135. Products include training weights, $35; an air purifier, $35; an exercise mat, $50, and a belt bag, $7.
The line was born out of research the company did pre-pandemic that found women with young kids and teen girls were increasingly likely to drop out of sports and fitness activities.
“We went to New York, Shanghai, [Chicago] and London, and we met these women and girls, and we talked to them about training in the home,” said one of the collection’s designers, Sarah Fager. “Since we are quite experienced in home environment and home solutions, we thought that maybe we could do something here…something to help people be more active in their daily life.”
In typical Ikea fashion, the green-hued collection is design-oriented. Each item is sleek and thoughtfully developed for small-space living — the collection includes storage units for the equipment. For a unique touch, rather than typical dumbbells, the weights come in a circle.
“We wanted to connect all [the] items with the same geometrical shapes,” Fager said. “The roundness is in a lot of the items.”
The team intentionally designed the products, which were tested by professional athletes, to look a little different from what’s expected of fitness gear.
“We wanted the products not to tell you exactly what to do with them and this is interesting because we are not competing with the gym equipment,” Fager told WWD. “The person can decide by themselves what they want to do.”
While the company states this collection is targeted toward any shopper, whether it be a fitness fanatic or workout novice, it has outlined a key opportunity.
“Because the economy is not good, maybe one thing that people will cancel is their gym card,” said Fager.
Although gyms and in-person fitness classes are back in full swing, the company believes there is still a desire for at-home offerings.
“It doesn’t have to be one hour in the gym. It can be a small thing wherever, and it should be inclusive for everyone,” Fager said.
Designer Akanksha Deo added in a statement: “We have designed a collection that helps bridge the gap between home and active life that recognizes that training can take many shapes and forms and that you don’t need a lot of space to do a simple workout.”
The Dajlien collection will launch at Ikea in January and will be available for six months or until the collection sells out.
Source: WWD