LM: Tell me about your background and career highlights?
SC: I was born on April 5th 1956 in Hyde Park Corner, London, at the Lanesborough Hotel. After gaining Maths, Physics, and Chemistry ‘A’ levels at Bryanston School, I studied Industrial Design Engineering at Central Saint Martins.
An interesting fact is that I gave the Sex Pistols their first-ever booking and subsequently worked with The Clash, designing record sleeves, posters, promotional material, stage sets, T-shirts and clothing.
In 1978, I joined Wolff Olins, the leading corporate and brand identity consultancy, and in 1981, I was recruited as head of product design at Mothercare, a collaboration that transformed the appearance and performance of childcare equipment. In 1986, I started ‘Sebastian Conran Associates’, a product and brand development consultancy working with a variety of international businesses to develop healthcare, luxury, and consumer goods, as well as industrial design. By 1992, I started a separate design and manufacturing partnership with designer Tom Dixon. An exciting moment in my career was in 2008 when I was appointed to the Design Council – the UK’s national strategic body for design, of which I am now a trustee.
As a passion, I now lecture frequently and am currently a professor of ‘Design Against Crime’ at Central St Martins. I have also taught at The Royal College of Art and have judged many international design awards such as D&AD, Design Week, Red Dot and The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).
LM: Thank you for your time, Sebastian. You have given our readers a fascinating insight into your work.
Icon by Sebastian Conran
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