Dezeen Magazine

Replica Eames Chairs by Aldi

"Aren't the Aldi chairs closer to Eames' original design philosophy?"

Comments update: readers have been discussing the ethics behind replica furniture this week after it emerged that discount supermarket Aldi was selling near-identical versions of a classic chair by Ray and Charles Eames.


Imitation game: images of Aldi's version of the DSW Eames Plastic Chair, currently produced under licence by Swiss design brand Vitra, emerged on social media last week. Critic Oliver Wainwright subsequently defended the replicas on Twitter, and many Dezeen readers agreed.

"Considering that Ray and Charles Eames originally intended these to be inexpensive chairs for the masses, aren't the Aldi chairs closer to the Eames' original design philosophy?" asked one guest commenter.

"Well done Aldi for actually bringing design closer to people," added Alexis Nicolas Basso, while Greg Harris said: "Style and comfort should not be exclusive to those who can afford to spend $500 per chair."

But others felt that Aldi had overstepped a line.

"The definition of inexpensive has changed, where it is now more in line with disposable," wrote commenter danijellosic. "Eames chairs were never cheap, but were meant to be bought once to last a lifetime."

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56 Leonard by Herzog & de Meuron

Tower tension: Herzog & de Meuron's Jenga-like residential skyscraper in New York is nearing completion, triggering a debate among readers about the type of towers springing up across the city.

"I don't think this era will be remembered fondly in architectural history," wrote Evilp in response to the latest images, while Heywood Floyd criticised the structure for lacking substance.

"I see this thing from my New York apartment every day and I die a little bit on the inside every time," added another reader. "I hope New York makes it through this extremely vein and preposterously kitsch times."

Not everyone shared this view, and many defended the Swiss firm's design.

"How is this building any worse than literally anything else in New York?" hit back Schwang-Phoo. "This building is a welcome addition to the creatively devoid architecture in America."

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Juicero by Yves Behar

Squeezed: a Wi-Fi-enabled home juicer by Yves Behar's studio Fuseproject provoked a strong reaction from readers concerned by the product's environmental credentials this week.

The juicer, which uses pre-packaged sachets of fruit and vegetables, could produce unnecessary waste, according to commenters.

"This looks beautiful and I'm sure there's some amazing engineering behind it, but how can designers still be pumping out these kinds of unsustainable products in 2016?" asked Aaron. "Recycling a whole bunch of unnecessary packaging doesn't make something sustainable."

"Just like coffee pods, these sachets are just going to landfill," added another commenter.

"People will buy it because of marketing, but what would actually be cool is if you could fill the sachets with your own fruit and make your own juice," concluded Andre.

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creative-industries-eu-referendum-flags-fly-together_dezeen_sq

In or out? As the UK prepares for the referendum over whether the country should leave the European Union, a survey of creatives revealed that 96 per cent are in favour of remaining. Some commenters questioned the relevance of the findings, while others expressed concern.

"I am sure I'm not alone in wondering why all these polls and surveys contradict the empirical evidence," replied Fastship.

"If we leave, think of the flexibility we will have to change policy and react to world events," said Wally-Jumblatt. "Never fear the future if you have the power to adapt to it."

"If we leave, we cannot expect to remain a part of the single market without a membership fee, and absolutely no say in what happens in the EU," replied Chris MacDonald. "Let us not forget that we haven't even voted out yet and the pound has already weakened because the markets judge that it will damage our economy."

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