When @chanelledemai came to me and asked if I could recreate her acrylic pheasant staves out of metal, I initially said no. I don’t copy anyone’s work, I even guide performers to unique color combos when they ask for something similar to something I’ve already created. But she proved to me that she in fact was the original designer of the staves. After working with Hot Fans for her set, they went on to sell her design to others. Because she was the designer and it is so central to her costume, I agreed to make the set. This design will not be available from me for any other orders.
If you have this design from Hot Fans, please just know where it came from. If you are considering purchasing from them, know that there is durability and creative risk in what they sell. The allure of a cheap price should not be enough.
But here’s the thing… this isn’t an issue of an international company not respecting creative ownership. This happens within our own community. I now know of several live traces of my custom designs. This is hurtful not only to me as a creator, but to the performer that provided the creative direction and paid for that work.
I have posted and continue to share build information to educate and inspire fan builders. As others come into the market leveraging my innovation as a starting point, do your due diligence to ensure you are getting orginal work and that your collaboration is protected.
All that, but the real star of this set is the fact that we pulled off this complex two color powder coating treatment!! This is very difficult for a home shop, but we’ve figured it out now. So proud of this design for this new innovation!
