So today's post is slightly negative. Not that I am fuming or anything but its one of the things that any budding entrepreneur would find, copycats. Over the past week, I was on social media, namely Instagram randomly browsing and as I was looking around, I found a lamp that look awfully similar to my sculpture lamp. and I realised it probably was copied. I wasn't fuming, angry and in an odd kind of way, flattered. Flattered that not just customers appreciate my designs, but even so for manufacturers and I was thinking, not like this is a patented design and well Concrete Everything has other plans for Concrete Sculpture and I am ahead of the copycats. So whatever.

Needless to say, I was curious to find out if any of these designs got out and guess what I found next. A Singapore design store, selling my copied designs.

PS: when I first started, I emailed this store regarding representing our brand in their store. No replies whatsoever.

About this point I guess I would like to say I wasn't that pleased. I would also mention the shop name, drum roll* Cat Socrates. In their defence, there is absolutely no wrong on their part (at least not directly). From my guesses, it would have been that the manufacturer copied the design and they just ordered it from China and sold it in Singapore. No wrong in that.

From a design point of view however and as fellow entrepreneurs, each of us has some form of responsibility for the things we do, the choices we make. We shouldn't just launch a business just solely on the fact of earning $, but we need to earn it with some pride. The least anyone could do is make sure the design was actually designed by the manufacturer or make sure that Singapore did not have such designs (there aren't plenty of concrete designers) and be responsible. If a design shop's role is just to bring in random stuff from China, then I think customers need to know. And I'd like my rant to end here, not because I have nothing else to say, but readers out there can be the judge. Personally I feel that the design scene in Singapore is growing and taking baby steps, with budding entrepreneurs trying to bring art and good design, expressing their craft with good work. Singaporeans are growing to appreciate this by supporting local artist and small businesses (like myself) in doing so. We all play our part and unfortunately some others take advantage of it. I hope we all see things as it is and you make right choices of who you are supporting.

Alvin out.