The fashion house Balenciaga last season proposed a bag strikingly similar to the already iconic FRAKTA, in an XXL size. The Balenciaga bag in many respects resembles IKEA's design - it is large, in a vivid blue color - but a few details set them apart, including the price.
And that price can be shocking. The Arena bag costs about EUR 1,900 (USD 2,200), while FRAKTA can be bought for just EUR 0.46 (USD 0.53)! The high price is made up of several elements: handcrafting, leather, linings and, of course, the Balenciaga logotype. The striking similarity was noticed by fashion bloggers, and news of the unfortunate design spread across the internet at lightning speed!
Theft of intellectual property?
We did not have to wait long for IKEA's response - it launched a campaign modeled on online guides for telling counterfeits from originals. FRAKTA was photographed in the same way and using similar lighting as Balenciaga's Arena model, and an appropriate comment was added.
So how do you tell a genuine FRAKTA from other bags?
IKEA offers a few valuable tips:
Shake the bag - the original rustles.
It also has many uses - you can carry hockey gear, bricks, or even water in it.
Throw the bag in the mud. A real FRAKTA can be washed with an ordinary garden hose.
Fold the bag. If you can get it down to the size of a toiletry bag, congratulations, it's the original!
Take a look inside. FRAKTA has an authentic IKEA label.
And finally, the price on the tag is only USD 0.99.
Perhaps IKEA's next step should be to release a clothing line under its own brand?
Concepts from the article
Production — Production. The process of preparing and executing creative material, e.g. a commercial, photo shoot, podcast, graphic, website or event. It covers pre-production, execution, post-production, quality control, approvals and delivery of final files.
Why it matters: Whether an idea survives the journey to publication depends on its efficiency: budget, schedule and quality are decided in preparation and execution, not in the concept.
When it is used: For every material requiring execution: commercials, shoots, podcasts, events, websites.
What skipping it risks: Without solid production, a great script ends up as material that is delayed, over budget, or revised endlessly.
