IKEA (PS We're Swedish)

Affordable design giant IKEA will be launching its PS 2009 line in a handful of US stores this August. 

The collection is part of an old notion that is recently gaining new momentum: "Culture as a Brand"

With this PS Collection, Ikea is mining Sweden's rich cultural and artisan heritage, mass producing it, and making it understandable to a worldwide audience.

A good example of this "evolution" of sorts, was PENDEL based on traditional Scandinavian clock style known as Mora.

moraclocks.co.uk offers a brief history of the clock.

"The ubiquitous sexy hourglass swedish 'Mora' clocks that we all know and love originally came from around the town of Mora in the Dalarna region of central sweden.

As agriculture and mining failed in the mid 1700s, the locals turned to clockmaking to make ends meet with families specialising in making or painting different parts of the clock,the movement or the face and incorporating them into other furniture including cabinets and even beds.

It is said that in the 1800s nearly 100 families were involved at the height of 'Mora' production although taxation and labour costs eventually curtailed production.

All of the products in the line are backed up by similar stories and history lessons.

Check out IKEA UK for the videos explaining the enchanting PS story.