American Design Club

What American Design Club does

American Design Club (AmDC) is a Brooklyn-based, privately held design representation firm founded in 2008 that curates themed exhibitions, trade show presentations, and wholesale programs for independent product and lighting designers. The firm began as a designer-run exhibition platform during the Great Recession and formalized into a representation company in summer 2014, building a curated network of more than 40 American design brands and a downstream footprint of more than 2,000 retailers spanning museum stores, boutique brick-and-mortars, and mom-and-pop shops. Kiel Mead, a founding member, serves as the current director.

The firm's core offering is event-driven curation: it produces roughly two themed exhibitions per year (e.g., Threat in 2012, BUILT in 2018, Table Manners in 2025, One Night Stand in 2026) at venues including Canal Street Market and citizenM Hotel, participates in seasonal trade shows including NYCxDESIGN and NYC Design Week, and runs a wholesale program for retailers accessed via an online application. Revenue is generated through three streams: design representation services (sales facilitation to retailers), membership and exhibition participation fees (a $300 fee per designer per selected exhibition), and wholesale transactions to retailers and business owners. There is no proprietary technology platform; the website runs on Squarespace, and operations are supported by a team of 1-10 with no disclosed external funding.

Customer segmentation is horizontal: represented designers and design brands on the supply side, and retailers, museum stores, boutique shops, and design enthusiasts on the demand side. Distribution combines direct sales via exhibitions and pop-ups, wholesale to retailers, trade show representation, and direct-to-consumer online sales. Distribution is concentrated in New York City and Brooklyn, with no international footprint.

Name

American Design Club

Legal name

American Design Club

Website

https://americandesignclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

American Design Club is a Brooklyn-based, founder-led design representation firm that curates themed exhibitions, trade show presentations, and wholesale programs for over 40 independent American designers, distributing their work to more than 2,000 retailers including museum stores and boutiques.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Representation Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Industrial Design Services (541420)

SIC

Wholesale-Furniture & Home Furnishings (5020)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail, Consumer Goods & Lifestyle Shows Organizers (THAHABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL), Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM), Trade Show & Exhibition Marketing (Booth Design/Build) (MPAAAGAC)

Keywords

• Design representation services
• Curated design exhibitions
• Wholesale design distribution
• Independent designer platforms
• Trade show curation

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Design Representation Services: AmDC acts as a formal representation firm for design brands, facilitating sales to retailers through trade shows, exhibitions, and pop-ups. They have sold to more than 2,000 retailers from mom-and-pop shops and boutique brick-and-mortars to museum stores.
2. Membership and Participation Fees: Designers whose work is selected for exhibitions are charged a $300 participation fee. The company offers membership programs for brands and designers interested in participating in trade shows.
3. Wholesale Sales: American Design Club offers wholesale purchasing for retailers and business owners interested in carrying their collection of represented brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

American Design Club operates as a designer-to-designer design representation firm that curates bi-annual themed exhibitions, manages trade show participation, and runs a wholesale distribution program connecting independent American product and lighting designers with retailers. Since 2008 it has produced over 20 themed exhibitions and now represents more than 40 brands, selling into over 2,000 retail accounts including museum stores, boutique brick-and-mortars, and mom-and-pop shops.

Product overview

American Design Club is a design representation firm that operates as a platform for designers, primarily through curated exhibitions and themed design shows. Their core offering consists of producing bi-annual exhibitions (such as One Night Stand, Ornament, Table Manners, Attached, Mouthful, and Might Delete) that champion American designers. The company also participates in trade shows, operates a wholesale program for retailers, and offers membership representation for brands and designers. Their exhibition program, running since 2008, provides a platform for emerging and established designers to share new work and ideas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Curated Themed Design Exhibitions Bi-annual themed design exhibitions that showcase both emerging and established American product and lighting designers. Recent examples include One Night Stand (May 2026, citizenM Hotel), Table Manners (May 2025), Ornament (Holiday 2025), Attached (December 2024), Mouthful (May 2024), and Might Delete (May 2023). Exhibitions serve as product showcases, retail moments, and community events, often staged in partnership with NYC venues during NYCxDESIGN.
• Designer Membership & Exhibition Participation Program Membership program for independent designers and design brands interested in joining AmDC's exhibitions, trade show presence, and representation activities. Selected designers pay a $300 participation fee per exhibition and gain access to AmDC's curated platform and retail network.
• Wholesale Program for Retailers Application-based wholesale purchasing program that gives retailers and business owners access to AmDC's curated collection of represented American design brands for resale. To date, AmDC has sold to more than 2,000 retailers spanning museum stores, boutique brick-and-mortars, and mom-and-pop shops.
• Trade Show Representation Seasonal trade show participation where AmDC promotes its Club member brands and their collections to retail buyers, functioning as an extension of the firm's representation services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Represented over 40 brands
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• citizenM HotelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for the One Night Stand exhibition in May 2026 at 189 Bowery, New York City 10002. The hotel serves as the physical location for the design exhibition during NYCxDESIGN festival.
• Canal Street MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmDC holds exhibitions at Canal Street Market in NYC, including the BUILT industrial design competition and various themed shows during NYCxDESIGN.
• Shelter: Mart Nouveau / Afternoon LightminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner event for Table Manners exhibition in May 2025. Shelter is a cash and carry event hosted by Afternoon Light for A&D professionals and design lovers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair): Large-scale North American trade show for contemporary furniture and design held during NYCxDESIGN — the dominant incumbent exhibition venue where AmDC and its members participate to reach retail buyers.
• Maison & Objet: Major Paris-based trade show and exhibition organizer for the home, design, and lifestyle industry — analogous incumbent in the exhibition-organizer space where AmDC operates, but at significantly larger international scale.
• Chairish: Online marketplace for vintage and designer furniture and decor with a curated dealer network — broader incumbent in the design wholesale/retail channel that competes for AmDC's retailer relationships.
• 1stDibs: Large online marketplace for luxury design, furniture, and art connecting dealers and designers with retail buyers — adjacent incumbent serving overlapping designer-to-retailer demand at vastly greater scale.

Direct peers

• R & Company: Multi-disciplinary design gallery representing a roster of American and international designers across furniture, lighting, and objects — comparable as a curated representation and exhibition platform for designer-makers.
• WantedDesign: Design event organizer producing exhibitions and trade show programming during NYCxDESIGN — operates a similar exhibition-driven model to surface independent designers to retail and contract buyers.
• The Future Perfect: Curated design retailer and gallery representing independent designers across furniture, lighting, and objects — overlaps directly with AmDC's representation-plus-wholesale model for product and lighting designers.
• Sight Unseen: Online design publication and offline exhibition platform championing independent American designers, with curated shows and a marketplace — highly analogous to AmDC's editorial + exhibition + community positioning.
• Egg Collective: Furniture design collective of three female designers producing and selling high-end American-made furniture and lighting — comparable as a designer-led brand that represents independent designers to retail and contract buyers.
• Todd Merrill Studio: Gallery and design studio representing established and emerging American designers and artists — directly comparable as a New York–based designer representation firm for craft-driven product and furniture designers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_amdc_
• Facebookfacebook.com/americandesignclub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Design Club