Look! Urban Camouflage at IKEA

click for more pics

We admit we're a bit averse to going to our local IKEA because of the hordes of shoppers that make the experience less enjoyable than the catalog and commercials advertise (though we are big fans of their cafe offerings). But we'd definitely be more apt to go more often if we ran into this sort of shenanigans while shopping at IKEA. Check out what it's all about above and below with details...

Urban Camouflage deals with the question how to camouflage oneself and one’s identity in the urban space. Our costumes are inspired by the «ghillie suits», the military camouflage suit. It was an adventure to wear the suit in the stores because of the conflicts with the employees, the reaction of the customers and also to see the pretty well camouflage effect in a real situation.

Check out more photos of hidden camouflaged IKEA creations here. From now on, we're poking the bag and products piles, just in case.

[Thanks to Jason for sending this; additional video found via Laughing Squid]

Comments (22)

This reminds me of that thing where a bunch of people put on blue shirts and stood around Best Buy . . .

posted by Griffin on March 5th 2009 at 4:49pm
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What is that food stuff in the background? It looks more like a grocery store than IKEA.

posted by tenderleaf on March 5th 2009 at 4:50pm
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this is hilarious.

posted by pvett on March 5th 2009 at 4:54pm
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Awesome.

tenderleaf: I think Ikea sells a wider range of things in Europe.

posted by Liana on March 5th 2009 at 4:56pm
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it's "hordes," not "hoards."

posted by madsarah on March 5th 2009 at 4:56pm
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This makes me so happy.

posted by marlamischief1 on March 5th 2009 at 5:00pm
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I already saw this on geekologie.com (actually I guessed it was on that site and I was right).

It's not that I don't enjoy it but it's not why I read this site.

posted by K T G on March 5th 2009 at 5:03pm
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I'd like to see someone try that at the Ikea in East Palo Alto. The cashiers would probably put a choke hold on the jokesters. Tough cookies in that store.

posted by Forestdweller on March 5th 2009 at 5:06pm
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go on Friday evening, especially in bad weather. no crowds at all.

posted by Lady J on March 5th 2009 at 5:07pm
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This is very funny.

posted by Pixie on March 5th 2009 at 5:15pm
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The one who looks like a pile of oversized Post-Its: What's that he's wearing/leaning over - DISKTRASH?

posted by bepsf on March 5th 2009 at 5:37pm
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"go on Friday evening, especially in bad weather. no crowds at all."

Good advice, except here in LA where there's not as many "bad weather" days to speak of; our local Burbank location seems to always be crowded regardless of day or time (morning, midweek, evening...it's always crowded). Angelenos love their IKEAs!

posted by gregory on March 5th 2009 at 5:40pm
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Yea. The IKEA in brooklyn is always crowded. I believe it is due to lack of "super stores"

posted by wonderboy on March 5th 2009 at 5:53pm
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The post complains about the hordes, but there's very few people in the photos. I don't think that Ikea's all that crowded and that proclaiming yourself as having a big aversion to the sweating masses is an affectation.

posted by Palmetto on March 5th 2009 at 6:13pm
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Palmetto: that's obviously not our local IKEA (in fact, its not even here in the US). And I made no mention of your sweating problem. xoxo

posted by gregory on March 5th 2009 at 6:16pm
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I live in Tampa and our new Ikea opens May 6th. News articles say it has an expanded foods section, first in the country. Not sure what that entails.

posted by Brad DeWhat? on March 5th 2009 at 7:32pm
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palmetto - gregory is not exaggerating about the hordes of people in the burbank store. i'm from little old santa barbara and every time i go there i get really overwhelmed just from the parking lot. still love it though. the ice cream and cinnamon roll calm me down.

posted by Joan in SB on March 5th 2009 at 8:22pm
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The top the one with Disk Trasa (Dish Cloth in Swedish) is actually at a grocery store (City Gross) in Sweden,

posted by buttercupclarice on March 5th 2009 at 9:30pm
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Awesome. I totally didn't see the bag person who leaning next to the unit.

posted by inkstainedwriter on March 5th 2009 at 10:02pm
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gosh... I was really hopin' those were FLOR (r) like carpet squares!

posted by charlierock on March 5th 2009 at 10:13pm
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Don't know why but this video made me sad. Sort of like a bunch of dishtowels trying to return to their natural environment but it's not working. :(

posted by Dialousco on March 6th 2009 at 12:01am
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There are definitely smelly hordes in the Brooklyn store. Moreso on a Friday night. They should just install conveyor walkways in that Ikea, so the masses can just cruise along. I would LOVE to see this in the Red Hook store.

posted by dnice on March 6th 2009 at 10:20am
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