OUR BELIEFS & VALUES //

 

• VALUE ORIGINAL DESIGN: The ADA® exists to promote the value of original design to support the creators, brands, manufacturers, distributors and retailers of genuine furnishings in the fight against design theft.

 

• COPIES HURT CULTURE: As an education platform, we strive to inform consumers, business owners and design industry professionals about how copies, knock-offs and replica furnishings cause irreparable damage to the entire design economy.

 

• DESIGN IS AN INVESTMENT: Buying original products means investing in timeless style and quality. Cheap copies have a short lifespan and replacing them is often more expensive than investing in an original. Choose well, buy once, make it last.

“Choose well. Buy once. Make it last.”

Vivienne Westwood

• GOOD DESIGN IS MADE TO LAST: Original design is produced by brands committed to making high-quality products that are supported by warranties, repair guarantees and/or ‘end of life-cycle’ programs; products that last a lifetime.

 

• SUSTAINABILITY & ETHICS: Authentic design brands uphold best practice in areas of sustainability and fair working conditions, using materials and processes that minimise environmental impact, and respect the people who create, make and sell their products.

 

• PROTECTING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY : The intellectual property (IP) of creators, licensed manufacturers and authorized distributors must be protected against the unscrupulous businesses who profit by knocking off original designs to support industry growth.

“We have a moral obligation to question what we buy, why we are buying a product, and why it is even produced.  

We must also consider who made it and how.”

Fiona Spence, SPENCE & LYDA

• DESIGN THEFT ROBS CREATORS & MAKERS: Designers, manufacturers and distributors have a moral right to the income stream from sales of original works. Designers earn royalties from sales of their products, around 3-7% of the wholesale price.

 

• GROWING THE DESIGN ECONOMY: Launching a product requires significant investment in research and development, production refinement, and marketing – the result of 1-2 years of hard work by an extended supply chain.

 

• GOOD DESIGN IS GOOD BUSINESS: Successful products enable the development of new collections. As a result the broader industry can thrive, develop and compete more robustly in the global marketplace.

“A successful product employs a network.

A successful collection creates a sub-economy”

AUTHENTIC DESIGN ALLIANCE®