Next big thing? Made.com's crowdfunding platform TalentLAB is set to launch 200 new designers a year

Designers upload their ideas for customers to support, with the best going into production.
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Jess Denham13 November 2017

More than 200 budding designers a year will see their ideas become reality thanks to an ambitious new initiative from furniture company Made.com.

New, creative ideas can be uploaded directly to the TalentLAB platform, which launched on 31 October. Customers can browse the submissions and "like" any that catch their eye.

Made.com's design team will regularly shortlist 20 to 30 of the best entries, make prototypes of them and photograph them for the crowdfunding store, which opens in late February.

Customers can then support their favourite designs by sharing them on social media and putting down small refundable deposits of up to £30 to express their interest.

Popular designs that hit their crowdfunding targets will go into production, with a fresh curated collection arriving on Made.com every two months. TalentLAB designs will make up 10 per cent of all newly released products.

Customers who backed a winning design will be able to buy it at a 30 per cent discount before it officially launches, or receive their deposit back. Deposits will automatically be refunded to backers of unsuccessful designs. Designers will receive royalties for every piece of theirs sold.

Drop-down desk: Leeds designer Rob Richards submitted this space-saving design

Design Director Ruth Wassermann said at the TalentLAB launch event that the platform will highlight the "many adventurous, innovative ideas in the world that never get brought to life".

Speaking at the Victoria and Albert Museum, she said: "TalentLAB will help shine a spotlight on creativity, helping designers get a foothold in the industry and helping customers get their hands on new bold designs.

"Here at Made.com, we will get a read on which pieces our customers love, especially the ones that are daring and different."

MORE EMERGING TALENT

TalentLAB is an evolution of Made.com's Emerging Talent Award which first launched in 2013. This award worked in a similar way, allowing customers to rate submitted designs, but there was only one winner a year.

This year's award went to HIRAKI by Charlotte Petitpierre, a table lamp designed to look like a small moon held up by two arms.

Charlotte Petitpierre: this year's Emerging Talent winner

Its luminosity can be adjusted to suit your mood, with a flat LED bulb emitting a soft light that spreads towards the edges of the shade.

HIRAKI: a table lamp designed to look like a moon

DESIGN DESTINATION

The thousands of entries and tens of thousands of votes for the annual competition showed Made.com that the supply of - and demand for - fresh design talent is there.

Philippe Chainieux, CEO of Made.com, hopes that TalentLAB will become "the number one destination for designers", giving customers "access to the most unique design from across the world".

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