Real or copycat: The thorny issue of authenticity in design.

Monday, April 06, 2015

Real or copycat: The thorny issue of authenticity in design.

We like to share an interesting essay about authenticity or copy in industrial design, by Nathalie Atkinsons; just an extract:

/.../ The Eames chair is now in the vernacular of design vocabulary. Consumers can buy derivatives of the archetype from a variety of sources. The chair costs $69 at Structube, while at Kitchen Stuff Plus it’s on sale for $39.99. Versions with the licensed Eames name attached are about $400. Are the cheaper ones infringements on a designer? Which to buy without guilt? /.../

Read all at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/decor/real-or-copycat-consumers-battle-authenticity-in-design/article23741602/

Courtesy image: Kevin Spencer

Eamesiana is a project by Andrea Terranova and Raffaela Cardia, italian trends scouts on contemporary design.

"The Eameses created the future we're still living"

metropolismag.com

Charles Eames (1907–78) and Ray Eames (1912–88) gave shape to America's twentieth century. Their lives and work represented the US's defining movements: the West Coast's coming-of-age, the economy's shift from making goods to producing information, and the global expansion of American culture. The Eameses embraced the era's visionary concept of modern design as an agent of social change, elevating it to a national agenda. Their evolution from furniture designers to cultural ambassadors demonstrated their boundless talents and the overlap of their interests with those of their country. In a rare era of shared objectives, the Eameses partnered with the governments (US, India) and the country's top businesses to lead the charge to modernize postwar America.