MÄVINN Collection: Press Kit Launch 1 FY26

From headwind to MÄVINN

At IKEA, we believe that decent jobs are a good way out of poverty. In 2012, IKEA began directing some of its production efforts towards people and communities that truly needed the work. By collaborating with innovative social business partners in vulnerable parts of the world, IKEA aimed to create some wind in the sails for those who needed it most.

What began as a collaboration with one social entrepreneur has evolved into eleven partnerships in six different countries. Together with these partners, IKEA is able to give more people the opportunities and capabilities to support themselves and their families.

For more information, visit: IKEA Social Entrepreneurship

What is social entrepreneurship?

Social entrepreneurs are individuals dedicated to changing the world for the better. Through a social business, they aim to tackle social and environmental issues, such as reducing poverty or minimizing waste. Unlike non-profits or charities, social businesses can generate profits and are not dependent on donations. However, rather than distributing their earnings to shareholders, it's reinvested to continue supporting positive change.

Improving lives and living rooms

In this edition of MÄVINN, IKEA features 18 products specifically designed to match the skills of artisans in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Jordan, and Thailand. With the MÄVINN collection, IKEA supports the livelihood of these artisans and contributes to a more inclusive society, offering unique handmade home furnishings made with heart.

Nicer the closer you look

A MÄVINN product is more than just decoration. Close inspection reveals impressive craftsmanship in innovative materials with details that are not always noticeable at first glance. Woven into each product is opportunity, confidence, and purpose for those who need it most.

For this launch, IKEA focused on ROPE, a social business partner in southern India. The more you learn about the MÄVINN collection, the more you will like it.

Responsibility Of People and Environment (ROPE)

IKEA's social business partner, ROPE, is located in Tamil Nadu, southern India, a region known for its unsafe firecracker factories. ROPE provides safe, fair-paying jobs while creating products from natural materials.

At ROPE, women are trained in crafting with natural materials. After training, they are offered full-time employment with opportunities for growth. They receive a fixed salary, social benefits, insurance, savings for retirement, free transport, and childcare. Most artisans invest their income in their families, improving living conditions and education for their children. This employment has given them new self-confidence and pride, and more say in family decisions.

Today, ROPE provides work for 370 artisans and plans to expand in the coming years.

“No matter what problems are happening at home, I can take my mind off them when I'm here. Here, I have a lot of friends and there is a sense of freeness.”

- Gangadevi M, Artisan, ROPE

Much more than wall decoration

MÄVINN wall decorations come in a set of two, with bold geometric expressions that suit both walls and tables. Handcrafted with flexible banana bark fibres and black cotton threads, they provide safe and stable employment for women in rural India.

“The women working with us have grown their household income by almost 60%. It has given their families new possibilities and themselves greater influence in family decision-making.”

- Sreejith Nedumpully, Managing Director, ROPE

India's banana production and waste utilization

“India is the largest producer of bananas in the world with tens of thousands of acres dedicated to banana cultivation. However, since banana plants only bear fruit once, they are cut down after harvest. By using previously discarded banana bark to make our products, we are creating wealth out of waste.”

- Sreejith Nedumpully, Managing Director, ROPE

A balance of light and shadows

The talented artisans at Ramesh Flowers in India have hand-braided the MÄVINN lampshade into an open-weave pattern. With a clear light bulb, the airy design of the banana fibres creates shadow effects on walls and ceilings.

Co-creating with nature

In the MÄVINN collection, IKEA strives to use natural, renewable, and biodegradable materials such as banana bark, jute, and palmyra leaves whenever possible. These materials have also proven to be very durable.

Made to be different

The main goal of MÄVINN is to create employment opportunities for those who need it most. Sometimes, this means adding elements to a product. The pompoms on this hand-braided banana fibre basket by Ramesh Flowers add a pop of colour and provide additional work for textile weavers at Rangsutra, creating a win-win situation.

Connected through craft

This basket connects the island of Flores in Indonesia with the rest of the world, and an ancient hexagonal hand-weaving technique with you. By collaborating with the social business Du Anyam, IKEA supports the livelihoods of women and families in a very isolated part of the world.

Natural touch for KALLAX

Let this flexible MÄVINN basket in jute give your KALLAX shelving unit a natural touch.

“It is said that as you grow, you should make your tables bigger and not your walls higher. We work with social entrepreneurs across the globe so that we can invite more people to our table.”

- Simi Gauba, Product Developer, IKEA

Vase with a message

With MÄVINN, IKEA is making products in remote locations in very inaccessible facilities. "But where there's a will, there's a way."

- Rahul Dasgupta, Business Developer, IKEA

Weaving hope with Doi Tung

Every MÄVINN plate is handcrafted to create jobs for Indigenous and tribal groups in northern Thailand, in collaboration with the social business Doi Tung. This partnership ensures economic self-reliance without compromising the environment or cultural values.

Every tassel counts

Woven, embroidered, and with tassels tied by hand, the MÄVINN table runner helps improve the living conditions of 467 artisans and their families.

Invite someone new to the table

The MÄVINN place mat is crafted from natural jute fibres and adds texture and style to your dinner party. It is partly hand-embroidered by artisans at Classical Handmade Products (CHP) in Bangladesh, a social business that supports women and people with disabilities into employment.

Small but impactful

The raw quality of the natural jute fibres lends a rustic appeal to this basket. The hand-embroidery in black and white creates a bold contrast against the natural tones. The 100% solar production process further adds to its appeal.

Looks good. Feels even better.

The MÄVINN apron is made from hand-woven cotton, offering a soft texture and a longer life expectancy. The apron features a practical front pocket divided into two compartments. Hand-embroidered detailing in yellow and pink offers a smart loop to hang towels or spatulas.

The benefits of empowering women

The social businesses IKEA partners with often focus on employing women, recognizing that women's development is essential for both economic and social growth. Empowering women also improves the well-being of future generations, as educated women are more likely to invest in their children's health and education.

When women thrive, communities flourish, making investment in women an excellent business for everyone.

A comforting blanket

Handwoven and hand-tasselled, this colorful MÄVINN throw was designed to reduce inequality by empowering women in rural India. The traditional craftsmanship ensures a unique blanket that looks great on both sides.

It's all in the details

This little hand-embroidered caterpillar provides work for 305 refugees from Syria and women artisans in Jordan. Designed to make a difference, this cushion cover aims to cheer up your living room.

Weaved-in hope

In partnership with the social business Karupannya, IKEA has designed a rug that helps create jobs for people living on the riverbanks of Bangladesh, a region heavily affected by global warming. The rug is handwoven from undyed jute and cotton with details in colored wool, making it both decorative and durable.

“IKEA Social Entrepreneurship has been a way for us at IKEA to innovate business models and drive system change to contribute to a fairer and more equal world.”

- Jon Abrahamsson Ring, CEO, Inter IKEA Group

Taking the road less travelled sometimes takes a little longer

Most social businesses contributing to the MÄVINN collection operate in remote rural areas frequently impacted by poverty, war, corruption, and climate change. For example, this edition of MÄVINN was affected by floods in northern Thailand, volcanic eruptions in Indonesia, and political unrest in Bangladesh.

The world won't change overnight, but IKEA remains committed to moving forward despite external challenges. Although reaching goals may take longer than expected, every person whose life is improved along the way makes the journey worthwhile.

Meet our social business partners

Rangsutra, India

Artisans at Rangsutra specialize in traditional Indian embroidery, textile, and grass weaving. The artisans, mainly women, are also shareholders in the company. 467 artisans are involved in making products for the MÄVINN collection.

Ramesh Flowers, India

Ramesh Flowers creates jobs for rural women through natural waste material production. 450 artisans are involved in creating handcrafted items for MÄVINN.

Classical Handmade Products, Bangladesh

A social business specialized in handmade products using only garment waste and natural fibres like jute and banana fibre. The production is 100% solar-powered and located in rural areas, allowing families to stay in their home villages. For MÄVINN, Classical Handmade Products employs 257 workers, with a focus on women and people with disabilities.

Karupannya, Bangladesh

Karupannya aims to create jobs for the rural population in Bangladesh and provide an alternative to overpopulated cities. By using natural materials like jute and wool, solar cells, and biogas, Karupannya also aims to minimize its environmental impact. The 700 workers are mainly women from local villages, as well as disadvantaged youth and people from transgender communities.

Du Anyam, Indonesia

Du Anyam is located on the remote island of Flores in Indonesia. The focus of Du Anyam is to provide employment with flexible working hours for mothers, enabling them to also care for their families and local farms. The locally sourced palm fibre products are made using ancient weaving techniques developed on the island. The MÄVINN products today provide work for 300 people.

Doi Tung, Thailand

Doi Tung was one of the first social business partners IKEA collaborated with. Their mission is to ensure that their artisans, who have few job opportunities, are economically self-reliant without compromising the environment or their cultural values. Today, 92 people are involved in producing ceramic products for MÄVINN.

Jordan River Foundation, Jordan

In 2017, IKEA teamed up with Jordan River Foundation as a response to the Syrian war, when millions of refugees fled to neighboring Jordan. The aim was, and is, to create jobs and increase integration between women refugees and local women artisans by turning to traditional handicraft skills. The MÄVINN collection offers a sustainable income for 305 women and their families.

A continuous collaboration

With the MÄVINN collection, IKEA fosters long-term collaborations with social businesses that empower artisans and celebrate their craftsmanship.

The next MÄVINN collection will be released in early 2026, building on the current visual expression while adding new functions and complementary colors. With a new MÄVINN collection released every six months, IKEA is excited to continue its support for positive change.

Contact

Quinty Stuurman | Commercial PR Specialist | publicrelations.nl@ikea.com