Designer Interview: Design Glut
Posted on September 3rd, 2010 by ali //
Liz and Kegan from Design Glut are an All-Star incredibly creative duo. The two are not only known for their clever home accessories but they’ve mastered the art of interviewing many creative entrepreneurs in the design industry. We’ve turned the table on them to answer a question or two. Oh, and they are really photogenic. Enjoy!
Tell us about the process of starting Design Glut and how you got where you are today.
Kegan and I met in college at Pratt, where we studied industrial design. Senior year we had a studio class together and through an offhand conversation one day, ended up sharing a table at the DesignBoom Mart at ICFF here In New York. This was back in 2007… Little did we know where that decision would take us!
The show went so well that we named ourselves Design Glut, formed a partnership, and wanted to keep designing together… But we’d both just taken jobs at design firms, so Design Glut was an on-the-side whenever-we-have-a-spare-moment thing until April 2008, when we set up our Brooklyn studio and started doing this full-time.
Ah yes, Egg Pants! The funny thing about Egg Pants is that they’re such a whimsical and emotional thing, but they were thought up from a very technical place. In school I was studying a manufacturing process called Dip Molding. The process is usually used for rubber caps, gloves, and inexpensive industrial parts – but I was trying to think up a way to design a home accessory. The name “Egg Pants” came at the very end. I’d been working on the egg cups for a long time and everyone kept saying they looked like little pants, so I just went with it!
What is your workspace/studio/office like? Our office is a super fun space. We’ve covered the walls with posters and toys and little things that inspire us. Oh and my scissor collection!
Tell us about the process of starting Design Glut and how you got where you are today.
Kegan and I met in college at Pratt, where we studied industrial design. Senior year we had a studio class together and through an offhand conversation one day, ended up sharing a table at the DesignBoom Mart at ICFF here In New York. This was back in 2007… Little did we know where that decision would take us!
The show went so well that we named ourselves Design Glut, formed a partnership, and wanted to keep designing together… But we’d both just taken jobs at design firms, so Design Glut was an on-the-side whenever-we-have-a-spare-moment thing until April 2008, when we set up our Brooklyn studio and started doing this full-time.
Since that point, we’ve moved full-speed ahead and successfully turned our passion for design into an established business. In addition to our products, Design Glut is all about community. For a long time now we’ve been interviewing designers and entrepreneurs about their stories, and recently we’ve started throwing events which has been a whole lot of fun!
I have to ask about the inspiration behind the Egg Pants. They’ve become a topic of conversation numerous times in our team meetings. Why pants? Ever considered an egg skirt or skivvies, ha!
Ah yes, Egg Pants! The funny thing about Egg Pants is that they’re such a whimsical and emotional thing, but they were thought up from a very technical place. In school I was studying a manufacturing process called Dip Molding. The process is usually used for rubber caps, gloves, and inexpensive industrial parts – but I was trying to think up a way to design a home accessory. The name “Egg Pants” came at the very end. I’d been working on the egg cups for a long time and everyone kept saying they looked like little pants, so I just went with it!
What is your workspace/studio/office like? Our office is a super fun space. We’ve covered the walls with posters and toys and little things that inspire us. Oh and my scissor collection!
You mentioned earlier that you’ve been interviewing designers and entrepreneurs about their stories. I’m sure many of our customers are very familiar with all of your interviews with highly creative folks. What have you learned most from all the people you have chatted with?
The most important thing I’ve learned is that nobody we’ve interviewed had it all figured out when they started. Really, nobody ever has it all figured out! When I remember that all of these people I look up to started somewhere, it’s easier to have patience. And it really does take years to get a company or project rolling – that’s just a fact that you have to accept. Keep plugging away no matter what anybody else says, no matter how hard it gets, and it will all pan out!
The most important thing I’ve learned is that nobody we’ve interviewed had it all figured out when they started. Really, nobody ever has it all figured out! When I remember that all of these people I look up to started somewhere, it’s easier to have patience. And it really does take years to get a company or project rolling – that’s just a fact that you have to accept. Keep plugging away no matter what anybody else says, no matter how hard it gets, and it will all pan out!
Great brand name…what does it mean and where did it come from?
In economics, a glut is when there’s an excessive amount of something. We believe that we are living in a design glut. There’s just too much stuff in the marketplace. This is our company’s starting point. We don’t make things unless we truly believe there is a reason for them to exist. Our objects start conversations and add a little happiness to your life.
