Made.com launches crowdfunding initiative for emerging designers

Individual designers are able to submit their furniture designs directly to TalentLab, and products will be sold on the Made.com site depending on how many customers pledge their interest in them.

Online furniture retailer Made.com has announced the launch of a new crowdsourcing and crowdfunding platform that enables up-and-coming designers to have their products sold on its site.

TalentLab works by allowing designers to upload their ideas and concepts directly to Made.com, a selection of which are then shortlisted by the retailer and showcased on its site.

Customers can pledge a deposit of between £5 and £30 on any pieces that they would be interested in buying.

The designs with the most pledges will then go into production and be released on the Made.com site, while people who pledged will receive a 30% discount and be able to purchase the items before their official launch.

200 designers per year

The designers will be paid in the same way that designers whose pieces are already sold on the retailer’s site are, via royalties on their products.

A curated collection of TalentLab products will be released every two months, and up to 200 designers will be selected to take part in the initiative each year.

Made.com design director Ruth Wassermann, says: “There are many adventurous ideas in the world that never get brought to life. TalentLab will help shine a spotlight on creativity, helping designers get a foothold in the industry and customers get their hands on bold new designs.”

TalentLab launches in October 2017.

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  • Nick Lewis September 25, 2017 at 12:53 pm

    What a great idea.. but it does need closely monitoring and due diligence as I have invested in existing crowdfunding websites (albeit small sums) and never seen any products ! Suggest that when you take on designers they are required to submit a security deposit which is paid into a bespoke insurance policy or held in a cumulative trust that refunds investors when things go wrong and no product is delivered. This should weed out the spurious operators.

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