11.22.2011

counterfeit intelligence

Tis the season to spot rip offs...this little ditty started when I saw the new Crate and Barrel sweater vase heavily inspired by independent designers. In my quest to find out who manufactured the one for Crate and Barrel I also found an original that seems to have heavily influenced renowned ripper-offer Mr. Foster.


Am I naive for thinking companies should be better than reducing themselves to cheap design knock offs? Yes. Will I stop talking about how they should be better than that? No.
This, people, is just another reason to buy from independent designers at craft fairs this season, or from sellers that work directly with the artists. Big box stores have no conscience regarding authentic design and artists' rights...that is, unless it's their own designs getting ripped off.

2 comments:

alyssa ettinger said...

here we go again.

every day, a little piece of my heart is broken.

Sara said...

Completely agreed! The problem is that big companies have big lawyers who can many times get those companies out of a bind, regardless of the fairness.

I also find, for example, that the average person who doesn't appreciate (or even just feels pretty neutral) about handmade would rather spend less on something made in china with subpar materials than a hand-crafted item.

I partially blame "fast-fashion" (like H&M and Forever 21) for this, but that's a whole OTHER discussion, and I think I may have already talked too much...