This remote Russian village is creating a new eco-friendly collection for IKEA

Swedish homeware giant IKEA has launched a new limited edition collection together with villagers living in an isolated hamlet in the Russian Urals.

The collaboration was pioneered with Guzel Sanzhapova, a prominent social entrepreneur working in the village of Malyi Turysh — a community of just 50 people. Sanzhapova began to employ villagers to revive the local manufacture of honey, lollipops, and souvenirs after inheriting her father’s apiary deep in the Russian countryside back in 2013.

Now local people have launched their own range of textile products for IKEA, focusing on pillow-cases and travel pass holders. The collection — called Återställa, or “restore” in Swedish — focuses on sustainability, with leftover pillowcase scraps being used to create wallets.

Återställa is currently only available at one Moscow store, but if the collection proves successful, sales could be expanded in the future.