MILAN — The creativity is out there, but without a solid business plan, the crème de la crème of American design has little chance of coming to the fore, according to Jean Lin.

After studying fashion design, working in editorial and teaching at Parsons, Massachusetts-native Jean Lin realized that independent designers and makers had little knowledge on how to start a business. To change that, she decided to develop a unique co-op model. In 2014, she founded the New York City-based design gallery Colony, with the aim of instilling commercial viability into burgeoning design firms. At the same time, Colony is growing a strong community in and around its West Broadway hub to support designers after the debut phase.

The Culmination

This week, Lin saw years of hard work come to fruition. On Wednesday, “The Independents,” Colony’s biggest group show to date, opened, featuring work from the gallery’s past, present and future designers.

Curated by Lin, the show spotlights the work of 24 design studios, including alumni Chen & Kai, a design studio that redefines materials and forms, and Aaron Poritz, whose work highlights the natural patterns and texture found in wood, stone and ceramics. The exhibit also features names born from Colony’s residency program including Austin-to-New York City-based Ember Studio, New York-based Taiwanese and Northern-Italian designer Thomas Yang of his eponymous studio, and Studio BC Joshua, a London-to-Minneapolis based firm that makes “expressive” furnishings crafted with unexpected characters and forms, as well as Brooklyn-based MTM Studio by Maxwell Taylor-Milner who infuses art history with design.

The show, which will run during NYCxDesign, taking place Thursday to May 21, is a physical testament to Colony’s decade-long celebration of independent American designers, where each piece speaks to the maker’s personal reasons of pursuing the independent design path that isn’t always the easiest. It is on view at Colony’s TriBeCa gallery through May 20.

Colony’s Curriculum

Colony operates on a cooperative model designed to uplift the growth and success of independent designers. They charge a monthly co-op fee and a significantly lower commission fee, challenging traditional models where established galleries are privy to a larger cut.

Since its inception, the Colony team has nurtured a roster of successful talents including established designers like lighting master Bec Brittain, ceramicist BZippy, lighting fixtures designer Allied Maker, contemporary furniture and lighting designer Moving Mountains and most recently Kawabi, a new Japanese, Brooklyn-based design studio making paper lights. For Kawabi cofounders Aaron Kawabi and Irisa Na, working with Colony makes details like scheduling visits and presentation details a lot easier. “They do a great job at providing a platform for designers to show their work in a beautiful context,” Na said.

Almost three years ago, Colony launched its first annual residency program, furthering Lin’s commitment to fostering emerging design talents to the next level. It walks young designers through the business development process in as much as it works with them on their first collection, which eventually debuts at Colony.

In detail, Lin alongside Colony art director Madeleine Parsons takes blossoming designers through an eight-month curriculum where they go through a process of not only developing their first collection, but also learning how to launch a studio and see their brand take shape. Colony also guides them through pricing, marketing, public relations, all exercises around what it actually takes to run a furniture or a design studio. 

Real Success Stories

Now at its third year, Colony recently launched three new design studios from the program: Studio BC Joshua, Another.World, which was founded by artist, designer and maker Youtian Duan and visual storyteller Yingxi Ji. It’s an innovative design studio dedicated to reimagining the relationship between humans, inanimate objects and nature.

“I think it’s very similar to some of those techie incubators that exist. It’s a way of shaping the future of not just Colony, but also the market ahead of us in the next 10 years of designers who are mindful and community-driven and generous and understand the importance of sharing resources versus just watching out for yourself,” Lin said. 

Ingemar Hagen-Keith, founder of the Marmar Studio from the first cohort of the residency program, said Colony provided the support they needed. “Creative pursuits can often feel lonely but Colony invited me into a community of passionate artists that makes me feel inspired and connected to a group of likeminded creatives,” Hagen-Keith said.

This NYCxDesign, Lin will also be curating a series talks at Shelter, a three day furniture, art and decor fair kicking off May 17 at the Starrett-Lehigh Building on New York City’s 601 West 26th Street.