George James Sowden

George James Sowden (1942-) is an English designer who works mainly in Italy, where he moved in 1970 immediately after completing his studies at the Gloucestershire College of Art. A key figure in his professional development was Ettore Sottsass, at the time director of the advertising office for Olivetti. Sowden worked at the multinational company in Ivrea for a decade under the aegis of Sottsass during the 1970s, designing some of the first computers produced in Italy and other electronic equipment, but was also introduced by Sottsass to the fervent creative world of Radical Design that was developing in those years. Between 1980 and 1981 he decided to set up his own business, founding the Sowden Studio together with his wife Nathalie du Pasquier and was one of the protagonists of the foundation of the Memphis group, which brought together promising designers and established archistars from all over the world around the charismatic figure of Sottsass to create new-concept furniture, heirs to the suggestions of radical design purified of its more political demands and fused with post-modern suggestions in a mix with a strong pop touch. Throughout the 1980s, Sowden was one of the leading names in the group, to which he contributed creations characterised by bizarre decorations, often enriched with fabrics designed by Nathalie du Pasquier. In the 1990s, his style changed, accentuating a preference for round and organic shapes, and his activity focused on the design of electronics, household objects and appliances, collaborating with brands such as Alessi, Moulinex, Guzzini, Telecom Italia and many others. In more recent years, we can mention his designs for Hay, Segis, Raawi, Bitossi Ceramiche and the colourful lamps self-produced and distributed under the SOWDEN brand, which he founded in 2010. Among the numerous awards won in his career, George Sowden can also boast a Compasso d’Oro, obtained in 1991 for the OFX420 fax designed for Olivetti.