(smow)offline: The art of faking it. Adelta helps customers spot copies

Ball chair by Eero Aarnio for Adelta - original

They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery.

They, however, have obviously never spent hours, weeks and years sweating over a  project until it is perfect.

And so whether it is furniture designs, web site concepts or literature, they simply copy.

In January the winners of the 2010 Plagiarius Competition for excellence in copying the work of others were announced.
Among the happy winners a Chinese imitation of a German ice tray and Polish rip-off of a German toy combine harvester.

We never tire, honestly never tire of, pointing out the dangers and problems associated with buying cheap copies of designer furniture classics.

But, people keep asking, how can we identify the copies?

The biggest clue is the price. A serious retailer will never offer a genuine design classic for a ridiculously low price.

However, if the price appears reasonable…. how can you be certain.

In order to help customers avoid the sharks many producers now publish useful information on their websites.

Finish designer Eero Aarnio is not only one of the true pioneers of furniture design; but also a designer whose work is regularly copied.

Ball chair by Eero Aarnio - fake

No doubt the cheats thinking “Hey, it’s just plastic. How hard can it be?”

A lot harder than you think.

Eero Aarnio’s work is available exclusively from Adelta and on the Adelta website there is a good humoured guide to what to watch out for when inspecting a piece of, allegedly, Eero Aarnio furniture.

The points raised in the Adelta photos, however, also serve as a perfect guide to spotting fake of other designers works.

The upholstery. Especially in fakes of chairs such as Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Chair from Knoll is the quality of the upholstery and the stitching an important indicator.

Equally important is the base. With copies of Eames Chairs from Vitra, for example, the bases often only have four rather than five feet – the simple reason being that the cost of organising a five foot mould is simply too high for the plagiarists.

The best advice is simply speak with the retailer. A serious retailer selling originally licensed products will always give a straight answer to a straight question.