You definitely have to dig a bit to get to the good stuff, but it’s there, and well worth digging for. This seagrass vase, for instance, looks desperately chic, and it rings in at just under $25.
A hanger rack that’s clearly modeled on this Eames version.
This textured bowl reminds me of the items on offer at Farmhouse Pottery, a brand I love but rarely spring for.
As stylish a laundry basket as one could hope to find.
I think there is just something so elegant about the notion of grey wine glasses.
A perfectly utilitarian wooden tray.
This stoneware plate is a nice substitute for something from Heath Ceramics, another brand I love.
A linen tablecloth that comes in a number of lovely earth-toned hues, and you can go for matching napkins if you so choose.
I had no idea that H&M carried anything but clothing! I haven’t been inside an H&M in years.
I have the smaller version of that hanger rack in yellow and can co-sign.
I have mixed feelings about being That One but… for a blog that’s all about name brands and spending kind of a lot in a discretionary way, I think it’s odd that you’re promoting not just a store that does knockoffs but the actual knockoffs themselves. Whose IP matters?
I find this issue interesting, so I am glad you are being that way. I sometimes look at things from the other direction – how “original” is any object in the first place? (Maybe I will go google coatracks now. I am not being snotty, I really don’t know who first thought of putting a knob on the end of something to hold onto a coat.) And there were wrap dresses long before DVF. To me if someone knocks off an actual print at the same time, well then that is questionable, yes. A question of degree, in which at some point, the second person is actually copying. And I agree with Eloise – all Kim can do is mention that this may be at issue.
I also find this issue interesting, and lean towards Sharona’s point of view. But then again, people fuss at Kim for showing items that are expensive (Heath ceramics… sigh). Shopping and buying are complicated and bring up Big Issues. I think that’s why so many smart women are drawn to this blog and the comments section.
I have no opinion on this particular subject, but here’s an interesting knock-off tidbit….way back in the DarkAges (about 1971) I worked for Lord and Taylor and they had designers who’s job was to create knock-off pieces that would be given a Lord and Taylor label. You’d see them wandering around the store with sketch pads. I only know this because one of their designers asked me out and took me to Canter’s Deli where I had cheese blintzes for the first time ever (delicious).
Very interesting, cw! I wish I had the bandwidth to pay more attention to fashion. Maybe I go around in knock-offs all the time and don’t know it. (Actually I’m pretty sure I don’t bc my wardrobe is simply too boring for that. But if I tried harder, this would probably happen.) There is a lot of interesting psychology that happens with fashion. I should read some of those books. Anyone got a rec?
Actually, I think Kim does an admirable job of walking the fine line between luxury and more affordable items. For example, here she links to both the originals and the “knockoffs.”
I ordered the hanger rack on Andrea’s recommendation a few months ago and received someone else’s package. Customer service refunded my money without offering to resend it. Those things happen, but I was bummed and have since found something else to work in that spot.
I would use that laundry basket in my living room to store throws.
Btw, I know everyone’s gone now, but something I forgot to say is that sometimes there is an implication that fancy designers are more original, and that it is mass market retailers who are ripping things off. However, I question this, and I question the idea that you can assume originality based on cost. No, we would have to do research, I think, and even then we couldn’t be sure. I think many designers rip off, or borrow, ideas from lower or middle class people quite frequently. Those people may have good ideas but they don’t have PR people and most likely aren’t producing goods. So to me it’s offensive to just assume that something is a “ripoff” just because it is cheaper. Maybe *all* of the items are ripping off someone we’ve never heard of. Most probably, in fact.
I got that same laundry basket several years ago and it’s quite sturdy and well constructed. Highly recommend it.
I haven’t bought those particular Eames-knockoff hanging racks, though I did get a similar few at The Container Store for my kid’s room. They are perfect but only come in white with the wood balls. I had been tempted to splurge on the “replicas” at Schoolhouse Electric before: https://www.schoolhouse.com/products/mollie-hook?variant=39424092110892
I had noticed H&M’s and love the color variations.
My daughter is a clothes designer and she told me that you only have to change something at 10% difference to be able to copy it. She said that could be a button.
Appreciate the thoughtful discussion about IP and knockoffs. In general, Eva use it got so hot so fast, the world of MCM design is full of knockoffs. But some of them are now vintage themselves! It’s a fraught question.
I am a big fan of H&M Home, but I do wonder how much of their claim to sustainability is green washing. But, their allegedly organic and fair trade pillow covers are really high quality and absurdly cheap.
And now I am sorry – well a little bit – bc I am not sure that that rack *is* a knock-off. Yesterday I snooped around on 1st dibs a little bit bc I was wondering about this. The metal bracket-y things on the one posted here is not so different from the traditional standing coatracks, and they are quite different from the Eames one. So to me it is not all that similar. Obviously though I haven’t got a Ph.D in this. Someone probably does. … … … Meanwhile I second Elisabeth bc as a consumer it is so hard to know what’s what. I could totally see myself accidentally buying something where they just changed the button, which I don’t think I *would* do if I knew about it. Well, unless it was a really nice color. But, nope, probably still wouldn’t. Sometimes you just need a sweater? Remember that scene from the Prada Devil movie, where they argue about the blue sweater?