Design That Doesn’t Grow Stale: How Industry West Stays Innovative 10 Years In
Plus the brand’s founders share their favorite pieces.
Updated Oct 19, 2021 3:23 PM
In partnership with
We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
Believe or not, trend-forward design brand Industry West was founded a decade ago. Anne and Jordan England, the husband-and-wife founders, had just moved to South Carolina and were struggling to find furniture that fit their mid-century design style. That’s when Jordan looked overseas and found a factory in Asia that was crafting the modern-industrial furnishings he had in mind. Since then, the couple has opened a brick-and-mortar showroom at 14 Crosby Street in downtown Manhattan (they hope to open one on the West Coast soon) and designed spaces for Michelin Star restaurants and NFL teams. As the company turns 10 years old, Jordan and Anne reflect on how they started, what they’ve learned, and where they’re headed next.
Start Small
“I took $288, imported four chairs, put them on eBay, and within a couple days they were sold,” says Jordan. Anne adds: “Let’s just point out that he sold the chairs that were supposed to be at our dining room table. So I still didn’t have any.” What they did have was an eye for standout design and a gap in the marketplace. They got a website up and running within 90 days. Ten years later, Industry West is still self-funded. “When you’re just getting started, you want people to feel like it’s a real business and not just a guy in a garage with a cell phone,” says Jordan. “But I was just a guy in a garage with a cell phone.”
Be Flexible
Among the many lessons the founders have learned, adaptability has certainly been one of the biggest. When COVID-19 hit, the Englands prioritized sustaining their supply-chain partnerships around the world. Building a good team is “crucial to the growth of the company,” says Anne. Plus “you can’t plan for things like global pandemics, but how you react can make or break your business,” notes Jordan. “It is important to learn how to pivot easily.” And that’s a skill that comes in handy when trying to understand their clients’ ever-changing wants. “We’re still selling iconic silhouette pieces, while we are also introducing new styles of furniture that complement everyone’s eclectic taste,” he adds. “The pieces that have been around for years and years keep being reimagined with new projects and clients.”
Finders Keepers
While Industry West has sold tens of thousands of products, a few have had staying power since the start. “There are some things that are iconic, like the Dunlin swivel stools,” says Jordan. “There’s a place for them at all times.” Anne feels similarly about the Octane chair. “We have kept them in our curated catalog, because people ask for them every single day for both residential and commercial projects,” she says. “It’s a testament to our capacity to identify not only curated pieces that last, but products that continue to exhibit quality over time.”
Ten for Ten
In celebration of a decade in business, we asked Jordan and Anne to share their top 10 favorite products available right now. “Each item represents Industry West in every aspect, including our love for eclectic, approachable, and—most important—curated design,” says Anne.
