IKEA: Mass Production & Design Innovation
How IKEA's founder exported a certain image of Sweden – from frugality to 'fika'
The Conversation — IKEA has strategically exported Swedish cultural concepts like 'fika' and 'lagom'. But what about feminism?
Summary
"How IKEA's founder exported a certain image of Sweden – from frugality to 'fika'" Cecilia Cassinger, The Conversation (February 1, 2018)
The article examines how IKEA and its founder Ingvar Kamprad strategically packaged and exported Swedish cultural concepts — from frugality and DIY to "lagom" and "fika" — shaping a global image of Sweden as an egalitarian, social democratic model country.
The IKEA story as national myth
IKEA's branding is saturated with Swedishness: the blue-and-yellow logo, Swedish furniture names, and traditional foods in the canteen. For three decades, the company has commodified Swedish cultural symbols and political ideas. A former director of the Swedish Institute said: "To visit IKEA is to visit Sweden."
Kamprad's life story follows the monomyth (hero's journey) pattern — a thrifty boy from a remote village who overcame obstacles through hard work. This narrative is promoted on Sweden's official website and reinforces the image of Sweden as an entrepreneurial, innovative nation.
DIY as ritual
The DIY concept is central to IKEA's business model. Every time a customer collects, carries, and assembles furniture, they enact a kind of ritual celebration of hard work and frugality — core values in Sweden's highly secularised but Protestant-influenced culture. This connects to the social democratic vision of "Folkhemmet" (the people's home), where everyone is treated as equal and has access to general welfare.
Lagom and fika
IKEA long promoted lagom (just enough) and fika (coffee break) before they became global trends. Cinnamon buns and brewed coffee have always been offered in-store. Jantelagen — the unwritten rule that no one should consider themselves superior to others — underpins the myth of Kamprad's famously frugal lifestyle (flying economy, no lavish parties). IKEA's "LAGOM project" encourages sustainable living.
What's left out
The article argues IKEA's image of Sweden is selective. It omits Swedish feminism — the government declared itself the world's first feminist government, and #metoo became a powerful movement in Sweden. The tension surfaced when IKEA had to apologise for and withdraw a sexist advertisement in China.
The relationship between IKEA and Sweden is not always symbiotic.