Ross Lovegrove was born in 1958 in Cardiff, Wales. He graduated with distinction in Industrial Design from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1980. The following year, he completed a Masters in Design at the Royal College of Art in London. After finishing his studies, he moved to Altensteig, Germany where he began working as a designer for Frog Design working on projects like the Sony walkman and Apple computers. His move to Paris marked another seminal moment in Lovegrove’s career. He worked as a consultant for Knoll International and joined the Atelier de Nimes with Jean Nouvel and Phillipe Stark, establishing relationships with brands like Cacharel, Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Dupont. Returning to London, he founded Studio X in 1990 and began working on projects for international fashion, furniture, IT and airline brands.
Some of the best-known companies he has worked with include Apple Computers, Cappellini, Ceccotti, Driade, Edra, Fasem, Fratelli Guzzini, Frighetto, Herman Miller, Luceplan, Olympus, Sony. He designed seating for Japan airlines and collaborated with Vitra and Moroso. In collaboration with Solar Sharp (manufacturer of solar panels) and Artemide, he developed the noted street furniture line, Solar Trees, street lighting resembling stylised trees, powered by solar energy.
Ross Lovegrove is a visionary and provocative designer, attentive to change and innovation in the name of sustainability. Synthesising technology, material science and natural forms, his poetics draw inspiration from the study of organic and geometric structures. His work has been exhibited in some of the world’s leading museums, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim in New York, the Axis Centre Japan, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Design Museum in London and the Vitra Design Museum Weil Am Rhein in Basel. He also has received numerous awards and recognitions.
