The biggest leap of faith every emerging designer needs to make is investing in manufacturing a product without any orders from stores or customers.
OCAD grad Joshua Brassé’s new design site Ideacious.com is trying to change that though, offering designers an opportunity to earn pre-production orders and financial backing and giving adventurous shoppers first dibs on great new design buys.
Here’s how it works. If you’re a “buyer”, you can either shop for immediately available housewares, furniture and other curiosities or preorder from a prototype and hope that enough other Ideacious members do too so it can be made. If you’re a “creator” (Ideacious’ early designer adapters include Rob Southcott, Tristan Zimmermann and Karen King), you upload your work to the site and hope that you achieve a critical mass.
Pre-orderers also have the opportunity to earn cash back by investing early in some products.
Aside from the site’s inventive concept, Ideacious is full of great merch. Here are our top picks:
SaltSELLER pinch pops with removable felt bands by Frances Hahn (pictured above), $20.
Foreword single bookshelf by Karen King, $24.
Jet Set paper airplane hooks by Robb Southcott, $39.
Coat Thief hanger by Joshua Brassé, $149.
