James Irvine

James Irvine (1958-2013) was an English designer and a leading exponent of the “new simplicity” movement launched by his compatriot Jasper Morrison between the 1980s and 1990s. His professional career is inextricably linked to Italy, the country to which he moved in 1980, after completing his studies at the Royal College of Art in London. His first important job was in the Olivetti design studio, under the guidance of Michele De Lucchi and Ettore Sottsass, a position he held until 1992. At the same time, he had the opportunity to move to Tokyo for a year as a consultant for the Toshiba design department (1987) and to open his own business in Milan with the foundation of his Studio Irvine. Since 1993 he has also been a partner of Ettore Sottsass’s Sottsass Associati, an experience that contributed decisively to his training and to his launch into the empyrean of the most appreciated and sought-after designers on the market. His style, emblematically “90s”, based on simple shapes with soft curves and brightly colored materials, has been applied in the most diverse fields through collaborations with major brands: from everyday objects for brands such as WMF, Alessi, Arabia, Danese Milano and Alfi to furnishings created for many brands including Cappellini, Magis and B&B Italia, up to a bus designed for Mercedes-Benz. In 2004 his success was crowned by the achievement of the title of “Royal Designer for Industry”. His peculiar touch, the perfect embodiment of the style of an era, meant that with the passing of fashions many of his creations are no longer in production today: however, traces of his work remain in the catalogues of brands such as Arper, Thonet, Coro, Discipline Design and Schönbuch. After his premature death in 1958, the Studio Irvine he founded continued its activity under the guidance of his wife Marialaura Rossiello Irvine.