My Favorite Manifesto

Jonathan Adler is a well-known New York based Interior Designer. His irreverent, kooky and modern twist on design is fun and inspiring.

I came across his Manifesto on the Jonathan Adler website and I loved it! I think you will find it a great lesson in how to communicate your message and not to take yourself too seriously at the same time.

This Manifesto is just the beginning of how well he translates and communicates his vision, message and aesthetic throughout his website. Check out his About Page too.

He recently completed a project designing a life size Malibu Barbie Dream Home and grown up Barbie Accessories for your home- too fun.

Our Manifesto

We believe that your home should make you happy.

We believe that when it comes to decorating, the wife is always right.
Unless the husband is gay.

We believe in carbohydrates and to hell with the puffy consequences.

We believe minimalism is a bummer.

We believe handcrafted tchotchkes are life-enhancing.

We believe tassels are the earrings of the home.

We believe in our muses: David Hicks, Alexander Girard,
Bonnie Cashin. Hans Coper, Gio Ponti, Andy Warhol, Leroy Neiman,
Yves Saint Laurent, and Madonna.

We believe in the innate chicness of red with brown.

We believe in being underdressed or overdressed always.

We believe in infantile, happy emblems like butterflies and hearts.

We believe celebrities should pay full price.

We believe in rustic modernism: Big Sur, A-Frame beach houses,
raw beams, and geodesic dome homes.

We believe in Palm Beach style:
Louis chairs, chinoiserie, Lilly Pulitzer, The Breakers circa ‘72.

We believe our designs are award winning even though
they’ve never actually won any.

We believe in Aid to Artisans.

We believe dogs should be allowed in stores and restaurants.

We believe in mantiques – suits of armour,
worn chesterfield sofas, heraldic tapestries.

We believe you should throw out your Blackberry
and go pick some actual blackberries.

We believe colors can’t clash.

We believe in blowing your nest egg on our pots.

We believe our lamps will make you look younger and thinner.

We believe in irreverent luxury.

Knock-Off, Who’s There?

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Not.
I think I agree with Coco Chanel: ” Being copied is the ransom of success.”

First let’s define “knock-off” in it’s most technical terms and it’s loosest.

Counterfeit: Handbags and accessories are one of the most lucrative counterfeit import businesses. You’ve seen them, the guy on the street with purses lining a blanket, saying that are real Louis Vuitton, Gucci or Prada. You may have even been in some beautifully appointed shops in Hong Kong, where they serve you tea and show you bags..in the backroom. In some cases, they look very real. Sometimes, even an expert has trouble telling them apart from the real thing. That’s because they just about are the real thing.

A high-end counterfeit operation purchases, has in-house spies, or bribes/blackmails/threatens employees of high-end brands, to steal original, authentic items or patterns. Then they are scanned by computer, detailed out for color, stitch count, construction, branding, fabric, leather etc. All the elements of the purse are copied exactly- or almost. But they aren’t “real” or authentic, because they don’t come from the license holder or legitimate manufacturer. They are counterfeit, as in, ILLEGAL. This is considered IP Theft, Intellectual Property Theft.; an idea or essential elements of an idea that are identified and owned by an entity is the Intellectual Property.

Think again before you think about buying a counterfeit purse. Sure, Gucci will never know, but you will. You would be guilty of purchasing stolen property.

Having someone develop counterfeit items of your line is probably not something that you will have to address. More likely it will be the “knock-off.”

Knock- Off ( impostor): An item is meant to so strongly resemble a popular or high-end item that you visually  may mistake it for the original unless you look closer. The logo initials have changed, the branding elements aren’t exact, the quality is several grades cheaper or just simply tacky. These items are not trying to sell you as being the original, just look-alikes. However, these items can be infringing on trademarks, but that’s not your worry. If you buy these items in a legitimate retail environment, it’s their responsibility to sell the items in good faith that the items are legal for trade. The manufacturer may come under fire and have to pay fines, remove items from shelves, etc., but you have done nothing wrong.

If you are the company that is knocking another company off to capitalize on their popularity, then you are doing something wrong.  You may not be found out. The problem is, you will always be at the mercy of the original company. If you haven’t developed the concept yourself, the life and breath will never be authentic. You will always be the impostor copying what the originator does, hoping they won’t find you out.

Knock -Off  (slang): You pour your heart and soul into developing your label, logo and identifying features into your line. Then you  begin to notice your competitors are beginning to look like you. Not in an obvious way, but in a way that you can tell they were inspired by your line, or knocked-off your line.

Inspired is a funny word, it can mean that something gave you an idea to be influenced by a certain concept or can mean it took you in a totally different direction.  Some people misuse the word inspired when they actually mean heavily influenced by a concept.

You may have already dealt with this in some manner or another. Unless there is too strong of a resemblance in the visual presentation that there may be viable confusion in the marketplace, there is not much you can do.

This is where Coco’s Quote comes in: ” Being copied is the ransom of success.” If  you find yourself being copied, in a non-infringing kind of way, you may begin to feel paranoid or angry. I don’t blame you. What you have to remember is that YOU are the innovator, the creator of your line. You are that one that will make any changes or updates authentic, genuine and cohesive with the aesthetic of your brand. The word ransom is a  double edged sword and can effect you in two ways; On the one side, if you are successful you are copied. If you stop getting copied, then maybe you arent so great and people will judge you by that. On the other side, if you let the idea of being copied hold you ransom and paralyze you, then you’ll never move forward.

So, the obvious lesson here is that it is okay to be inspired by other lines. Inspired should mean to go forth and do your own thing, Not be so heavily influenced by  another brand’s identity that you can’t move without them making a move first. Then you are being held for ransom by someone else’s success.