I had no idea DWR was ripping off designers... kind of COMPLETELY DISREGARDS THEIR ENTIRE ORIGIN and all... Was this common knowledge prior to the Fast Company article?
although i was aware of and puzzled by their new policy in stocking causing long lead times, i was shocked by the move to redesign and resource products - and amazed it actually took place; very revealing article in deed. hope they can turn it around now.
and maybe bring prices a bit more towards our reach.
it's called ..... simplify and cut your costs to maximize products....
the more you simplify things, it's harder to add a cost value in the end...unless you make a stamping/manufacturing process and own molds and a lot of r+d work...
Utilitarian objects are not protected by copyright law.
This is pretty much an inherit problem with modernism is that everything is pretty much a utilitarian object.
Copyright in furniture (and even clothing design) specifically refers ornamentation and decoration as oppose to form or construction. That is if construction has little to nothing to do with the aesthetic appeal.
i think that fast company article was a shocker to people even on their board (david rockwell's reaction was pretty indicative). and, yes, the fact that they were so blatantly ripping off other designers (and ones which had sold so much for them) was just reprehensible.
it appears most of their behavior was initiated by the recently ousted ceo - it does make you wonder why they left him in so long. and, no, i'm not sure how many people knew what was going on (the article notes, for example, that they had a picture of the blu-dot shelving IN THE CATALOG while they were actually selling the copy).
i think their biggest problem, identified early on, is that they went from a quirky boutique type of reseller to a bloated chain.
considering they helped kill a couple of local shops here so good riddance...
nah they were always about this, they totally made their bones in it..........i always took comfort in their mod-ern design ethos- Eames et. al would have been SO psyched for this level of homogenization, standardization and sheer manufacturing prowess.
Also, DWR posts hi-larious Craigslist want ads, basically demanding a full architecture degree to sell their shiteous OSB wares.
I'm certinaly don't condone outright knock-offs that it appears DWR has done. That said, I do like the idea of being able to buy well designed and constructed "American built" furniture. So the DWR line about the carbon footprint of shipping something from Europe does get traction with me.
Most furniture that's domestically made is hideous looking.
Room & Board is about the only sales outlet that has decently designed pieces that aren't shipped from all corners of the globe. Then again they are a bit expensive as well.
Crate & Barrel was founded on the precipice that contemporary design shouldn't be out of fiscal reach. I like a lot of what they and their copycats have done. Then again their quality & designs aren't always that great.
The article does mention how most people don't know the difference between a knock-off or the original. Well, DWR could just commission their own custom stuff. Who cares if the designer is an out of work Architect? Build it here and sell it at a reasonable price. There is a market for good design, famous classics or not.
Dec 2, 09 9:55 am ·
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Who knew DWR was such a little bitch?
From the news post.
I had no idea DWR was ripping off designers... kind of COMPLETELY DISREGARDS THEIR ENTIRE ORIGIN and all... Was this common knowledge prior to the Fast Company article?
although i was aware of and puzzled by their new policy in stocking causing long lead times, i was shocked by the move to redesign and resource products - and amazed it actually took place; very revealing article in deed. hope they can turn it around now.
and maybe bring prices a bit more towards our reach.
So what exactly is the difference now between DWR and unscrupulous Chinese manufacturers? Oh yeah thousands of dollars.
it's called ..... simplify and cut your costs to maximize products....
the more you simplify things, it's harder to add a cost value in the end...unless you make a stamping/manufacturing process and own molds and a lot of r+d work...
i was never really a fan of DWR anyways
Utilitarian objects are not protected by copyright law.
This is pretty much an inherit problem with modernism is that everything is pretty much a utilitarian object.
Copyright in furniture (and even clothing design) specifically refers ornamentation and decoration as oppose to form or construction. That is if construction has little to nothing to do with the aesthetic appeal.
i think that fast company article was a shocker to people even on their board (david rockwell's reaction was pretty indicative). and, yes, the fact that they were so blatantly ripping off other designers (and ones which had sold so much for them) was just reprehensible.
it appears most of their behavior was initiated by the recently ousted ceo - it does make you wonder why they left him in so long. and, no, i'm not sure how many people knew what was going on (the article notes, for example, that they had a picture of the blu-dot shelving IN THE CATALOG while they were actually selling the copy).
i think their biggest problem, identified early on, is that they went from a quirky boutique type of reseller to a bloated chain.
considering they helped kill a couple of local shops here so good riddance...
But yeah, that's a really lowball move on their part.
They've become the JCPenney's of the furniture world.
maybe they have plans to take on ikea...... drum roll please
dwr is still around?
nah they were always about this, they totally made their bones in it..........i always took comfort in their mod-ern design ethos- Eames et. al would have been SO psyched for this level of homogenization, standardization and sheer manufacturing prowess.
Also, DWR posts hi-larious Craigslist want ads, basically demanding a full architecture degree to sell their shiteous OSB wares.
I'm certinaly don't condone outright knock-offs that it appears DWR has done. That said, I do like the idea of being able to buy well designed and constructed "American built" furniture. So the DWR line about the carbon footprint of shipping something from Europe does get traction with me.
Most furniture that's domestically made is hideous looking.
Room & Board is about the only sales outlet that has decently designed pieces that aren't shipped from all corners of the globe. Then again they are a bit expensive as well.
Crate & Barrel was founded on the precipice that contemporary design shouldn't be out of fiscal reach. I like a lot of what they and their copycats have done. Then again their quality & designs aren't always that great.
The article does mention how most people don't know the difference between a knock-off or the original. Well, DWR could just commission their own custom stuff. Who cares if the designer is an out of work Architect? Build it here and sell it at a reasonable price. There is a market for good design, famous classics or not.
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