I decided I wanted a good rich lunch so wandered up to the supermarekt and what should I be assaulted by? Badly moulded, scuffed black Grcic stools for $35.00 each with the quite amazing sticker on the underside stating that they were designed in Australia and made in China, well its only a half lie I suppose but I'm right onto them, have made a report to the trading standards office here.
They got a fine recently for telling whoppers about imported fruit and vegetables, I just might have to go steal that Jasper Morrison chair from the loading bay afterall.
...
I'm not madly enthusiastic about Grcics' designs (not that that makes it any less wrong) what I'm more irritated by is the completely fraudulent sticker on the underside, some dodgy importer passing themselves off as an Australian design outfit. Just some fool who photoshopped some stickers, had a 1000 printed and stuck them on a container load of rubbish.
My internet is being slow but here is a speech by Grcic on this.
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/7614/konstantin-grcic-elabor...
I needed a few things so walk...
I needed a few things so walked back to the stupormarket (miserable weather, on the way I realised just how funny Shakespeares "shall I compare thee to a summers day" really is, what a put down!)
Anyway, I can't believe the chutzpah of these people, I looked at the fine print on the sticker, they claim to reserve their proprietry rights and will prosecute any transgressors, I nearly threw one at the fridge full of frozen fish.
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Hi Heath
First up I owe you an apology for not taking you up on your kind offer a few weeks back, so I'm sorry I didn't get back to you. I've been in my head for a couple of weeks.
On topic...I believe 'Matt Blatt' has more to answer for than anyone else in this country....and he's making seriously money out of it...but it seems to be the way of the world...not my world.
Matt Blatt is a profiteer of Chinese Cheap labour of not- so-cheap copies of 20th Century design icons here in Australia for those unfamiliar. http://www.mattblatt.com.au/
replica invasion
I am not sure about the rest of the world but shops selling 20th and even 21st century replicas are BIG business in Australia. Matt Blatt is just one of them, there are many other businesses around. They are so popular and influencial that some people now believe that anyone who deals in original 20th century design actually sells replicas. You will not believe the number of people who come into our shop and ask the question:the furniture is all reproduction, isn't it?
"You will not believe the number of people who come into our shop...."
Wow, sounds as though this is a great time to be in the modern-furniture business in Australia. Now that Matt Blatt's popularity and influence are driving an unbelievable number of people into your shop, how much have you been able to save on advertising?
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