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Chinese reproductions of modern furniture classics

post #1 of 49
8/19/08 at 3:21pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone seen this site -- or better yet, done business w/ them?:

http://www.modernclassic.cn/products_6.htm

They also go by "Yadea."

I'm wondering about the quality and the legality of their products, as well as the social and environmental responsibility of their production. Anyone know?
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post #2 of 49
8/20/08 at 3:31am
nvm
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post #3 of 49
8/20/08 at 3:55am
Thread Starter 
I appreciate the attempt. Basically, my situation is that I'm interested in this: http://www.modernclassic.cn/html/Juliana_Armchair.htm Which costs $185 incl shipping, but not duties -- and in cherry, not in birch. It's a knockoff of this Hans Wegner, called "the chair" or "round chair," made famous in the Kennedy/Nixon debates: http://www2.arch.uiuc.edu/research/e...ound_chair.jpg It's similar to this at DWR for about $700: http://www.dwr.com/product/categorie...na-armchair.do Which is made by Aristeu Pires in Brazil, who also makes a Hans Wegner chair: http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl...ebpgD2aROC88JQ An official version of which is made in Denmark by PP Mobler, but for $4000: http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=2988 I'm thinking of buying a pair from Modern Classic/Yadea. But I'd like to know more about them. The first few pages of Google on them are all either versions of their website, or weird furniture sites w/ links to the Yadea site. Of course, their weirdness may just be a weirdness to me, and I know nothing about furniture.
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post #4 of 49
8/20/08 at 3:39pm
Certainly not as bad a buying a replica watch or fake designer handbag, but buying knockoffs of designer furniture is generally frowned upon. As to the factors you mention:
Quality - I have no experience with this particular maker. Knockoffs can be a total crapshoot. Sometimes good quality, but usually poor.
Legality - hard to say. The licensed manufacturer would surely object. For me, it's more of a moral issue than legal.
Social and environmental responsibility of their production - I have no idea, but I would imagine quite poor.
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post #5 of 49
8/21/08 at 4:24am
Thread Starter 
Thanks Renault. That's what I'm imagining too.
Then there's the weirdness w/ picking it up at customs. I've never had to do that. Wonder what the duties would be.
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post #6 of 49
8/22/08 at 3:32pm
I've got 2 copies of the chair that are real as far as I can tell. Pictures were examined by my scandanavian furniture shop in minneapolis but I'm in chicago so they never looked at the chairs in person...seemed convinced they were real (there used to be a very high end scandanavian furniture shop in this neighborhood which would have sold them).

They need to be restored, and the aforementioned store has a person who can do it, since the canework has gotten brittle with age. They are the cane-wrapped version of the chair with a cane-wrapped back section (clean good wood underneath though) and a woven cane seat (there is one in the last link you listed) that has been upholstered over. They would be just beautiful with a little restoration and a switch back to the cane-seat.

As my roommates don't appreciate high-design and I am constantly worried about them being abused, I would be willing to sell. It would be more than the chinese knockoffs but less than the ugly DWI version. I've had estimated prices quoted post-restoration so I would have to figure out what the restoration cost would be (very few people in this country can do the canework for the seat)
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post #7 of 49
8/26/08 at 3:34am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the offer, otc. Not a bad price too. I'm probably only interested in the leather version, but if you pm me or post the picts here, I would enjoy taking a look.
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post #8 of 49
8/29/08 at 2:59pm
emptym,

Did you have to email them to get the prices?

Adagio
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post #9 of 49
8/30/08 at 4:42am
Thread Starter 
I did. They responded in a day or two. I was willing to buy one or two to try them out, but they wanted me to order at least five.
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post #10 of 49
10/5/08 at 9:26am
if your using a courier like dhl or EMS you dont have to pick it up at customs. If sending dhl they send it to you and then they send you a bill for the duties. EMS holds it at your post office until you pay the duties
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post #11 of 49
10/6/08 at 4:29pm
Thread Starter 
^I'll keep that in mind, should I go w/them. Thanks!
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post #12 of 49
10/6/08 at 11:02pm
I highly recommend DHL. The company I work for uses them all of the time for products from Asia and we have never had any issues.
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post #13 of 49
10/8/08 at 1:07pm
hmmm, I just bought this loveseat in the USA, wonder what the price/quality difference would have been from this place.


http://www.modernclassic.cn/html/Bar...n_der_Rohe.htm
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post #14 of 49
10/8/08 at 2:11pm
The Barcelona "loveseat" is like adding insult to injury.
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post #15 of 49
1/16/09 at 3:54pm
emptym--did you end up going with modernclassics? how was the experience?
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