Visionary artist and designer Adam Nathaniel Furman discusses the issue of designer dupes and why the pricing of products matters.
You have recently taken to TikTok to speak out about a recent commission with Curiousa being copied – when did you first suspect your work was being copied?
I had absolutely no idea that my work was being copied. I had seen some images floating around the web, but I just thought that they were lights that had been purchased from Curiousa, and so was actually pleased to see them, and was eagerly awaiting my royalties! The first moment I had a clear idea of what was going on was when I started receiving DMs on Instagram of people sending me links to TikTok. I was strongly urged by one of them to click and watch the full video they had shared; when I did I was utterly horrified to see an exact replica of one of my lights being unboxed, and then saw that it didn’t even work. Horrible for a designer to see substandard copies of their designs being passed off using their name and then arriving to customers broken.
Can you tell us about the original commission and why you wanted to work with Curiousa?
The original commission was something of a dream job. I care very much about working for brands that share the same ethics and values as me. I care about craft, and how the people who make the things we live with should have properly paid positions in which they are afforded respect, and work within an environment that cares about sustainability and human dignity. Curiousa works with incredible craftspeople around Derby, and keeps alive a raft of ancient skillsets that they combine with contemporary design, which is almost like the blueprint of what I think a good design brand should be.
How does the price of a design reflect the work involved?
The price was calculated by Curiousa, and while I do not know the exact breakdown, I know that the most important and costly factors were the price of getting each glass element handblown by a local artisanal glassblower. Secondly, the cost of developing what is a collection of technically very challenging designs to achieve to a high standard of durability, as well as factoring in other costs like photography – our photos were also stolen. These are all factors that the company who stole our designs and photography clearly didn’t have to account for.
What kinds of protections do creatives have in this situation?
I have spoken to a lot of designers about this issue, and while it seems the worst culprit is the fashion industry, it does seem to be an issue that is effecting a lot of designers in the UK from product design through to furniture and craft. It seems that we are able to get good protection in the US and EU markets through trademarking, but if the copying is being done in China it seems we have no protection, and cannot really do anything about it, which is very frustrating.
What is your hope for the future of product design?
This is a very big question. Separate to this issue I am hopeful of more onshoring, and the revivification of local craft skills and manufacturing so that we can sustainably create slow design that is tied to place in a meaningful way. In terms of copyright protection for designers I simply have no idea, and would very much like to know how our government might protect us better through international agreements and legislation.
www.adamnathanielfurman.com | IG: @adamnathanielfurman
Photography by Gareth Gardner
