How an inside joke between designers became a cult Instagram account

For creatives, the world of social media can oftentimes feel like a blessing and a curse. While it's a great way to promote your work to a global audience, the pressure to post, curate and connect can feel overwhelming, leading many of us to develop a sense of social media burnout or anxiety. Tackling this issue head-on are iconic creatives Malika Favre and George Wu with their wonderfully candid Instagram account: I can't afford this, but maybe she can.

What originally started as an inside joke between the friends soon grew into a cult Instagram account, collating the pair's eclectic (and oftentimes expensive) taste. Bringing the unfiltered joy back to social media platforms, ICATBMSC has grown into a space for unrestrained creativity – a moodboard of inspiration curated by two of the design industry's most exciting creatives.

One of the many things that drew Malika Favre and George Wu together was their shared love of beautiful items. "We love collecting and buying beautiful things – we've both got a bit of an obsession," George confesses during a recent talk at Birmingham Design Festival. "Beautiful, sometimes useless objects," Malika adds.

After sharing a stunning (albeit pricey) table with Malika, only to find it centre stage in her apartment in the following weeks, George came to the realisation she'd become her friend's personal shopper. Thus, I can't afford this, but maybe she can, was born.

"In the beginning, it was just me and [Malika], and then it became a few of our friends, and then suddenly strangers started to comment, but I wasn't really doing it with any purpose, any goal," George explains. The pair soon began populating their shared feed with decadent items, beginning with interior design and soon spreading to more conceptual visuals such as patterns, textures and aesthetic photography. While their natural tastes were distinct, it made for a wonderfully eclectic feed of inspiration which soon drew in followers. Now sitting at a proud 311K, the Instagram account has grown into much more than a simple inside joke.

It wasn't a completely labourless process, as in the first year the pair had racked up 900 posts (that's approximately 3 posts a day), but thanks to the candid nature of the account, the typical anxieties around curating a 'perfect' feed were eased. "I curate the same way I do research for work – I go with the flow," Malika explains. "We've got this line of taste, but we don't chat beforehand, we just post," George says. "It's liberating," Malika adds.

While the pair never created the account with the intention of brand collaboration, it has led to several fruitful partnerships (and a healthy dose of free cool stuff). Malika notes her art collaboration with British fashion designer Louisa Parris, while George highlights her Para Para Umbrella collection, and most recently, the pair was invited to curate a collection for French auction house Drouot.

After creating a visual identity for ICATBMSC, the pair launched a bi-monthly newsletter featuring interviews with fellow creatives, playful polls and of course, lots of lavish, drool-worthy products. (A suave new website is also in the works, but no spoilers from me.)

There's a lot to be learned from Malika and George's wonderfully candid Instagram account, but perhaps most importantly, it's a reminder that we ought to bring the fun back to the humble Instagram feed. What once began as an innocent space to share our lives with loved ones has grown into an overwhelming vacuum of influencers and ads. Amidst the empty noise, I can't afford this, but maybe she can, is a joyful celebration of creativity in its purest form.

For more creative inspiration, take a look at Malika Favre’s stunning collaboration with Oé wine or check out our interview with illustrator Mr Bingo to learn how he built his unique online presence.