Be Original Americas Holds a Series of Talks on the Impacts of Tariffs
The Organization and Industry Experts Explore this Topic in Mexico City and San Francisco
Be Original Americas, the non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for design authenticity, is holding a series of panel discussions on the topic of tariffs and their impact on the design industry in Mexico City and San Francisco this October.
In March 2018, the Trump administration announced proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum causing material prices to rise and supply to shrink. The United States is the world’s largest importer of steel with top sources being Canada, Brazil, and Mexico. According to a report by the United States Department of Commerce, in year-to-date 2018 (through June), the U.S. imported 16.2 million metric tons of steel*.
Steel and aluminum are used in the construction of a number of building components, furniture, and products. The tariffs have generated an increase in production overhead by increasing the costs of materials needed for production and creating a shortage of said materials thus affecting architects, designers, and manufacturers across the design industry.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) released a statement regarding the negative impacts. “The Administration’s announcement of new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports threatens to drastically increase the prices of many building materials specified by architects. These metal products are some of the largest material inputs in the construction of buildings. Any move that increases building costs will jeopardize domestic design*.”
To explore the topic of tariffs further with industry experts, join Be Original Americas for the following panel discussions:
WHAT: “Design in the Time of Tariffs”
WHEN: Friday, October 12, 2018, 1:15-2:00 p.m.
WHERE: Design Week Mexico
Museo Nacional de Antropología
Mexico City
RSVP required to beoriginal@bdeonline.biz
WHO: Diana Budds, Senior Story Producer, Curbed
Antonio Caliz, Principal, Gensler
John Christakos, Founder and CEO, Blu Dot
Design is a form of creative expression, a commodity, an investment, and source of livelihood. In today’s political climate, it’s also an economic bargaining chip. World leaders are proposing billions of dollars of tariffs for raw materials and finished products and reevaluating trade treaties that impact the global design industry. As policymakers weigh the future of tariffs, uncertainties will endure—and the design market will respond to them, for better or worse.
Join Diana Budds, Senior Story Producer, Curbed, along with Blu Dot founder and CEO, John Christakos, and Gensler’s Principal of Latin America, Antonio Caliz, both members of the Be Original Americas design advocacy group, to discuss how creatives in the design and architecture industry are evaluating their creative work and their professional practice in the time of tariffs.
WHAT: “Design’s Future in the Era of Trump”
WHEN: Thursday, October 16, 2018, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
WHERE: fuseproject
1401 16th Street
San Francisco
RSVP required to beoriginal@bdeonline.biz
WHO: Suzanne LeBarre, Design Editor, Fast Company
Yves Béhar, CEO & Founder, fuseproject
Collin Burry, Design Director & Principal, Gensler
Primo Orpilla, Principal, Studio O+A
Laura Guido-Clark, Creative Director & Founder, LGC Design
Ted Boerner, Founder, Ted Boerner Furniture Design
Derek Chen, Founder, Council Design
Join Suzanne LaBarre, Fast Company’s Design Editor, and the stellar panel regarding on how the new trade tariffs and sanctions are affecting multiple design industries. Hear from experts in manufacturing, industrial design, and architecture as they discuss their experiences and share thoughts on the future of design in the era of Trump’s trade wars.
* United States Department of Commerce. (2018, September). Global Steel Trade Monitor. Steel Imports Report: United States. https://www.trade.gov/steel/countries/pdfs/imports-us.pdf
* The American Institute of Architects. (2018, March 6). Steel, aluminum tariffs will negatively impact U.S. design and construction industries. https://www.aia.org/press-releases/182181-steel-aluminum-tariffs-will-negatively-impa
ABOUT BE ORIGINAL AMERICAS
Be Original Americas is a nonprofit organization that is committed to initiating discussion on the importance and value of preserving original design across the Americas, through informational, educational and influential marketing initiatives and other efforts to promote this critical issue. Be Original Americas charter members – including Alessi, Bernhardt Design, Design Within Reach, Emeco, Flos, Fritz Hansen, Herman Miller®, Kartell, Ligne Roset, Poltrona Frau Group and Vitra, and new board members, Gensler and Rich Brilliant Willing – believe that the value of authenticity cannot be underestimated or taken for granted in the marketplace. Through an aggressive program of panel discussions and CEU courses, the movement campaigns to establish a set of industry standards that encourages public and professionals, along with our media partners, to fully support creativity and authenticity, to invest in the future of design, to incentivize innovation, and to give back to the industry and the people it serves. www.beoriginalamericas.com
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