Sprørgsmål for the Danes: Does it bother you when the "Danish Design" objects are not also "Made in Denmark"?
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I'm asking because I find it genuinely irritating, as it separates design and craftsmanship. But I've yet to hear a Dane who is annoyed about it, so I wonder if it's seen very differently here?
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Don't know if it bothers me, I'd obviously prefer for jobs to stay local, but that's not the economic reality we're in right now.
I suppose it does bother me a bit, but I am not surprised.
I also don't particularly go for Danish Design as a selling point - while it's nice when well designed items are from Denmark it isn't something i seek out or see as a particular mark of quality.
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@juliette It bothers me, because I think part if the Danish Design-brand (especially when we talk furniture) is about the quality craftmanship.
But then again, I am probably romanticising about a business model that is no longer feasible in most cases.
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@juliette Design historian on duty here: Danish Design is a marketing term invented mainly by americans in the 1950's. During the 1960s and 70's Danish furniture were branded "made in denmark". While the (questionable) myth of craftsmanship was essential to marketing, most production moved out of DK in the 90's and 00's, with a few high end exceptions.
Its not particular to danish design and a product of globalization – Apple products are "Designed in California" and mainly produced in Asia.
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@juliette Design historian on duty here: Danish Design is a marketing term invented mainly by americans in the 1950's. During the 1960s and 70's Danish furniture were branded "made in denmark". While the (questionable) myth of craftsmanship was essential to marketing, most production moved out of DK in the 90's and 00's, with a few high end exceptions.
Its not particular to danish design and a product of globalization – Apple products are "Designed in California" and mainly produced in Asia.
@tokeriis the "Designed in California" also irritates me beyond belief, so...
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@tokeriis the "Designed in California" also irritates me beyond belief, so...
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@Koefoed @juliette Well yes, both the original term danish design and the current use of "designed in" are conscious efforts to lure customers into buying the product, i.e. marketing labels.
Btw, the Danish design furniture of the 1950's were most often constructed from tropical hardwood and most of the chairs and tables were derivations of types originating in other parts of the world.
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@Koefoed @juliette Well yes, both the original term danish design and the current use of "designed in" are conscious efforts to lure customers into buying the product, i.e. marketing labels.
Btw, the Danish design furniture of the 1950's were most often constructed from tropical hardwood and most of the chairs and tables were derivations of types originating in other parts of the world.
Also, the "craftsmanship" association with Danish Design originally turned a necessity into something positive; the furniture industry resented Danish modern designers, as Danes allegedly desired cheap historicist furniture according to the industry. Thus, with a few exceptions, initially only small cabinetmakers were interested in furniture cooperations.
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Also, the "craftsmanship" association with Danish Design originally turned a necessity into something positive; the furniture industry resented Danish modern designers, as Danes allegedly desired cheap historicist furniture according to the industry. Thus, with a few exceptions, initially only small cabinetmakers were interested in furniture cooperations.
@tokeriis I am SO interested in this, and since you are clearly a specialist: is there a book I can read, or a nearby museum I can visit, that would cover this history honestly? I am located in middle-of-nowhere-Jutland (Billund).
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@tokeriis I am SO interested in this, and since you are clearly a specialist: is there a book I can read, or a nearby museum I can visit, that would cover this history honestly? I am located in middle-of-nowhere-Jutland (Billund).
@juliette The best museums in the vicinity is Trapholt in Kolding (closed for renovation) or the Wegner museum in Tønder. I haven't been to the Wegner museum yet, so can't tell how they mediate the broader history. This book tells the story pretty detailed:
Per H. Hansen: Danish modern furniture 1930-2016 : the rise, decline and re-emergence of a cultural market category, 2018.
