Before they see the person on the other side, the contestants see their wardrobe. The clothes, accessories, the way things are arranged, the use of space and the details someone has chosen to display. In IKEA UK’s dating show Storage is Sexy, the first impression does not begin with a face, but with what is left behind the wardrobe doors.
The format created by Mother brings together three potential partners whose PAX wardrobes are displayed in front of the person deciding whom they want to date. The contestants sit behind their wardrobes and listen to comments about their clothes, style, accessories and way of organizing things, while their identities remain hidden.
In the first episode, Dani, a motorcycle designer with a strong eye for detail, makes the choice. In front of her are three differently organized wardrobes, and the way they are arranged becomes the basis for assessing a potential partner.
The second episode follows Kajal, a doctor with very clear views on wardrobe organization. Her logic is simple: a man who can plan a wardrobe can probably plan a life together as well.
The show is hosted by Charley Marlowe, while the matchmaking in both episodes takes place almost entirely through the space the contestants leave behind them. Only after the wardrobes have been assessed does the person whose way of organizing made the best impression get chosen.
Storage is Sexy does not use PAX merely as a set. Different wardrobe configurations become part of the story itself, showing the range of the system through sliding doors, lighting and narrower, wider and other space variations. In this way, the product’s adaptability moves beyond a conventional demonstration and becomes part of the character itself. Each wardrobe says something about the habits, style and priorities of the person using it, turning the product’s functionality into part of the dating mechanism at the same time.
The campaign takes a category usually communicated through practicality, layout and efficient use of space and places it in a completely different context. Organization is no longer only a matter of keeping the home tidy, but a characteristic by which a potential partner is judged.
For IKEA UK, this is its first dating show, while for Mother it is the agency’s final work for the brand after 16 years of collaboration. The agency decided not to take part in the creative review IKEA launched in January, while VCCP is taking over as lead creative agency.
Storage is Sexy therefore builds one of the final pieces of work from IKEA and Mother’s long relationship around a very simple reversal of roles: instead of the product sitting in the background of a romantic story, the wardrobe becomes the reason the story begins at all.
