Aug 6

Aug 6 Spotlight On MADE.COM TalentLAB

We all love to support new creative, interiors' businesses, right? Be it through buying their products, talking about them on our blogs or on Instagram and other social media, or showcasing their products in our homes. For me, it is a great feeling to see what I do help others to grow, by getting them in front of so many like-minded creative people.

Well, today I am showcasing an initiative that allows you to support creative talent for just a £5 registration fee (which is refundable). Today I am featuring MADE.COM TalentLAB, which is a very different initiative, allowing consumers a say in what goes on their site. TalentLAB is in essence, a crowdfunding platform, allowing you to get your hands on original design first and for less.

Moreover, this initiative is supporting new design talent "where bright ideas get MADE". It is a way for new designers to launch their careers, with consumers having say and making it happen.

TalentLAB was born out of MADE.COM's emerging talent award, where out of 1000s of entries there was only ever 1 winner. This way more designers get a chance to have their products made and seen by others.

If you are a designer and want to enter you can read more here.

On 27th July 2018, MADE.COM launched TalentLAB "ready to work" collection for consumer pledging. This is the second collection, where each product is designed with a specific purpose in mind and this one consists of 17 products from designers across the globe (UK, France and as far as Brazil). For many of these designers, this is the first product they have ever made and their backgrounds are varied; from human resources to design.

Interested?

You can go online here, to find out more.

The process begins when designers upload a visual of their design and give background on their idea. A panel of experts, led by MADE.COM design director Ruth Wassermann, select the best designs every 2-3 months, and these products will be prototyped and added to the website (the current ones you can see below). You, the consumer can put a deposit on the design you like and secure a 30% discount on the product's final MADE price.

If the design reaches its funding goal, it gets made! You will be asked to pay the remaining amount (with a 30% discount) and it will ship to you in 14-16 weeks.

But don't worry if you change your mind, MADE.COM will refund your deposit, if this is the case. MADE.COM will also automatically refund your deposit if your chosen product does not reach its funding goal.

Below you can see all 17 designs in the latest collection and here you can pledge and see how they are doing towards their funding goals. The collections ranges from furniture, to clocks, to home accessories to rugs to lighting, there are a wide range of things for you to choose from.