The indispensable thing in the furniture industry is always originality

Post-pandemic furniture orders have surged even faster than in previous years. Leather sofa manufacturers are flooded with orders, and workers are working around the clock to meet deadlines. Export demand has surged, driven primarily by the shift to working from home, which has led to a surge in demand for furniture, particularly lounge chairs. So, profits in the furniture industry must be quite healthy, right?

According to irresponsible statistics, the demand for used leather sofas and lounge chairs is relatively high. These interestingly designed leather sofas and lounge chairs are not only comfortable and practical, but also feature unique shapes, which are the innovations that add to their attractiveness. But where does the design inspiration for these innovative furniture products come from?

What I want to discuss here is one of the "innovative methods" for furniture products: gaining "inspiration" through international home furnishing exhibitions. However, due to the impact of the 2020 epidemic, the Milan International Furniture Fair, known as the "Oscars" of the design industry, also canceled its 2021 exhibition. With the cancellation of the Milan Furniture Fair, a bellwether for the industry, many home furnishing professionals have questioned the originality of domestic companies. Some industry insiders even stated directly, "Without the Milan Furniture Fair, the originality of Chinese home furnishing companies may be directly affected." It sounds terrible. By analogy with Huawei's chips, is our innovation ability really that poor? Are we Chinese people dumber than foreigners? Not really, but why is this the case?

1. The homogeneous nature of leather sofa manufacturers

1. Decreased inflow of talent

On May 11th, the seventh national census report was released. While China undoubtedly remains the world's most populous country, Zeng Yuping, chief economist at the National Bureau of Statistics, noted that my country's working-age population (aged 16 to 59) decreased by over 40 million between 2010 and 2020. This seems unrelated to the furniture industry, as it's only 40 million people.

In reality, the labor force has decreased by 40 million, while economic development has also shifted the demographic dividend toward non-manufacturing employment. These factors have compounded the shortage of general and advanced skilled workers needed by furniture factories, a crucial component of the manufacturing industry. And since talent is the foundation of innovation, isn't this a significant issue?

2. Excessive Blind Imitation

Blind imitation is a result of the Chinese people's penchant for quick success and instant gratification. Coupled with the rapidly developing economy, most people prefer to maximize profits through the fastest means, the so-called "short, flat, and fast" approach. Some leather sofa manufacturers can easily capture a share of the pie simply by slightly copying the style, craftsmanship, features, and even materials of popular products. Furthermore, as long as sufficient capital is available, a factory can be established, and the barrier to entry is low, regardless of whether a professional team is in place.

These opportunists have created a mixed bag of furniture companies. They lack respect for intellectual property rights, creating a vicious cycle of copying and being copied. Once a so-called "hot item" emerges, they flock to it without a long-term strategic plan.

The pursuit of profit is understandable, but infringing upon the interests of the original creators in the process is deeply inappropriate. This applies not only to the furniture industry but to all walks of life. Isn't this something worth reflecting on for us Chinese? Why was it that in times of poverty and hunger, people were more able to dedicate themselves to creativity and developing new products, while now, with better living conditions, their bodies have become healthier, but their minds have become thinner?

It is profound and worth pondering. My brain is not big enough and I am afraid it will crash if I think about it any further. Maybe time can tell us the answer.