
Your Style Is the Moat: How Makers Build Work That Can’t Be Compared
From The Handcrafted Podcast: The Business of making things by Paul Mencel
May 25, 2026 · 14 min
About this episode
Paul reflects on his experience at the ICFF design show to explore the importance of personal style for makers.
Join Us Summary: In this episode, Paul reflects on attending the ICFF design show in New York and uses the experience as a jumping-off point to explore one of the hardest questions for makers: What is your personal style, and why does it matter? He discusses the tension between inspiration and imitation, custom work versus collections, and how developing a recognizable creative identity can become a competitive advantage. Drawing from his background in music, Paul compares furniture design to...
People in this episode
Host: Paul Mencel
Topics covered
- personal style
- makers
- competitive advantage
- inspiration
- imitation
- furniture design
Keywords
- personal style
- makers
- ICFF
- furniture design
- creative identity
- competitive advantage
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: ICFF
Places: New York
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