September 10, 2026

Words: Georgina McWhirter

How BDE&Co. Has Shaped Design Narratives For 30 Years, And Counting

The public relations firm that’s now bde&co. started, in 1996, as Beth Dickstein Enterprises, enterprises coming from founder Beth Dickstein’s son’s love of Star Trek. It was a marketing, sales training, and research company until Cliff Goldman, then owner of Carnegie Fabrics, said “You have to do PR!” to which Dickstein replied, “OK, but we have to do it our way.” The first client was ICFF, and current brands—Ligne Roset, Designtex, Fantini, Landscape Forms and Coalesse among them—have each been with her for more than a decade. Furthering her commitment to the industry, in 2012, Dickstein and David Rosenkvist, a Fritz Hansen VP at the time, launched Be Original Americas, a member-funded nonprofit that’s working to stop the spread of knockoffs. Today, its member firms—from Rottet Studio to MillerKnoll to Brad Ascalon—are more than 200 and counting. bdeandco.com; beoriginalamericas.com

milestones 30 years

  • Text reads “be ORIGINAL brand a fake” with “be” in red script and the rest in black, suggesting a message about authenticity and imitation.
    This is the branding that appeared at the Be Original Americas—a nonprofit colaunched by Beth Dickstein, whose bde&co.
  • Exhibit display with modern hanging lamps, woven textile panels, sculptural objects on pedestals, and descriptive wall text in a well-lit gallery space.
    Is celebrating 30 years—and Bernhardt Design booth, at ICFF 2017, where visitors could graffiti directly onto counterfeit furniture pieces standing next to authentic designs. “Originality Deconstructed,” a 2022 BOA exhibit at Ace Hotel New York highlighting craftsmanship.
  • A row of colorful poster prints hangs in a modern gallery, with the foreground poster displaying the word “PUBLIC” in bold letters.
    At the Flos New York store in 2012, a poster display about reclaiming public space.

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