THE FUSE

New York’s design industry, defined by an ever-thriving community of independent talents and studios that arguably first emerged during the Great Recession of 2008, is unquestionably resourceful and inventive. Making do with limited resources and exorbitant rents, many autonomous practices come together to share space, mount group exhibitions during and outside of the annual NYCxDesign festival, and increasingly collaborate on fresh designs. Unlike in Europe, where it is slightly easier for independent talents to partner with established manufacturers, self-production and self-promotion are the name of the game here. There is, from time to time, help from centralizing galleries and retail concept spaces like Assembly Line.