Discover the designer Akanksha Deo from India

Akanksha Deo is a designer and visual artist who combines Indian textile history and techniques to create clean and playful outcomes. Several of her collections for IKEA have been made in close collaboration with Indian artisans, using a combination of traditional and modern techniques.

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Akanksha, born and raised in New Delhi, India, was drawn to art from an early age. After missing the deadlines to art school, she turned to design and fashion. And it was during a workshop at her university, the National Institute of Fashion Technology, NIFT, that she first encountered IKEA. She and 25 other students worked together with guest lecturer Martin Bergström, a Swedish textile designer, on the SVÄRTAN collection. Inspired by India but monochrome, in black and white.

Akanksha joined the IKEA in-house design team in 2017, creating everything from curtains and kimonos to lamp shades. She is excited about the huge effect IKEA can have by, for example, sourcing more sustainable materials or making small adjustments in the production line. “As a young designer, it’s fantastic that everything you do could translate into a large and positive impact. But it’s also intimidating to have that responsibility on your shoulders,” says Akanksha.

2016

Dark-haired woman in white shirt, Akanksha Deo, surrounded by colourful sketches.

After graduating from university in New Delhi, India, Akanksha got an internship with IKEA in Malmö, Sweden. Enjoying it, she later became a member of the in-house design team.

2017

Child's feet in knitted socks placed on multi-coloured rug.

BRÖNDEN rug. Akanksha’s brief was to “create a rug that almost screams ’handmade’, and the value in it”.

2019

TÄNKVÄRD collection included glassware and furniture designed to celebrate craftsmanship. Akanksha designed the textiles, including this kimono, a first for IKEA.

2021

Woven products in indigo, beige and white placed on woven mats.

FÖRÄNDRING collection was driven by the desire to contribute to changing common habits in which residue from rice harvesting is burnt. In these products it was used as a renewable material for products like lamp shades and containers.

2021

Dark-haired woman in white sweater sits on large rug with 3D patterns in different scales and colours.

LOKALT collection allowed Akanksha to play with different scales, colours and 3D effects.

“Design is proving to be one of the most important tools in shaping our future.”
– Akanksha Deo

2021

Hand-knitted lamp shade LERGRYN shines a warm, soft light on a girl reading.

LERGRYN lamp shade is made of recycled materials and is hand-knitted, letting light sprinkle through its holes to create a warm, calm feeling.

2022

Dark-haired woman in blue shirt, Akanksha Deo, studies a hanging mobile with white and beige balls.

VÅRDANDE collection was made in collaboration with Sarah Fager, working closely with social business suppliers to create products that share artisanal skills and promote real change in the quality of their workers’ lives.

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In her work for IKEA, Akanksha has used materials ranging from wool and cotton to residue from rice harvesting that would otherwise have been burnt. “Growing up in India, I have never been able to take clean air for granted, heavy pollution is part of my and many other people’s everyday lives. The idea of doing something that contributes to improving the current situation gives me a lot of energy,” Akanksha says.

In 2019, she created the textile collection ÄNGLATÅRAR together with designer Paulin Machado. She saw the collection as an ode to India due to its massive use of indigo, a colour which, while loved and used widely, is Indian at heart.

Dark-haired woman, Akanksha Deo, shows a sketch to a woman in a blue sari, who is sitting at a loom. — In many of her IKEA projects, Akanksha Deo works closely with local artisans and skilled craftspeople, like here in India.

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Many of Akanksha’s projects have involved close collaboration with local artisans in India and other parts of the world, adding value to communities through design. In 2020 she developed handmade cushion covers with craftswomen in Bikaner in northwest India. Supported by social enterprise Rangsutra, the project created jobs for marginalised groups in vulnerable communities.

Another collection, LOKALT, launched in 2021, focused on home textiles in collaboration with job-creating social businesses in India, Jordan and Thailand. Akanksha combined a traditional ‘punja’ loom technique from India with elements and practices from other cultures. It resulted in a graphic, playful and modern expression. “I played with different scales and colours with techniques that created an exaggerated 3D effect,” says Akanksha.

Working with local designers and social entrepreneurs worldwide, Akanksha has gained valuable insights through collaboration, idea-sharing, and listening to stories from different people and regions. “The world can collectively become a better place if we all listen and learn good things from each other,” says Akanksha Deo. Her journey towards a better world continues, one story at a time.