James Irvine (17 July 1958

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

– 18 February 2013

Milan, Italy Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

) was a British industrial designer who created furniture and product designs for many well known companies and brands such as Artemide, B&B Italia, Cappellini, Foscarini,

Ikea IKEA ( , ) is a Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in Sweden that designs and sells , household goods, and various related services. IKEA is owned and operated by a series of not-for-profit an ...

, Magis,

Muji , or is a Japanese retailer which sells a wide variety of household and consumer goods. Muji's design philosophy is minimalist, and it places an emphasis on recycling, reducing production and packaging waste, and a no-logo or "no-brand" policy. ...

, Thonet, and WMF. He once described the product designer's job as “the work of an unknown hero.”

Early life and education

Irvine was the son of the architect and designer Alan Irvine and his first wife, Betty. He obtained his bachelor's degree in industrial design from the Kingston Polytechnic (now University) alongside fellow designers Jasper Morrison and Michael Young. He subsequently earned a master's degree from the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

, and then moved to Milan to work for

Olivetti Olivetti S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of computers, tablets, smartphones, printers and other such business products as calculators and fax machines. Headquartered in Ivrea, in the Metropolitan City of Turin, the company has been owned b ...

in 1984. He also worked for one year at the Toshiba Design Center in Tokyo.

Work and career

In 1988 Irvine opened a design studio in Milan, initially collaborating with Cappellini and SCP. He also worked with Ettore Sottsass and became a partner at Sottsass Associati. In 1999 he designed the Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro bus for the city of

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

and proposed an accompanying design for the city's bus shelters in preparation for Expo 2000. Mercedes-Benz Citaro Irvine Solobus Uestra Hauptbahnhof Hannover Germany

Mercedes-Benz Citaro Irvine Solobus Uestra Hauptbahnhof Hannover Germany

He was a professor of industrial design at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design. In 2004 he was appointed Royal Designer for Industry (RDI). In 2006 his A 660 Bentwood chair for Thonet received the iF Design Award In 2007 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Design form

Kingston University Kingston University London is a Public university, public research university located within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in South London, South West London, England. Its roots go back to the Kingston Technical Institute, founded ...

. In 2010 his S 123 H barstool for Thonet received the iF Design Award In 2013 Irvine's "Juno" chair for Arper received both the Design Guild Mark Award and the iF Design Award.

Death and legacy

Irvine died of pneumonia in 2013 at the age of 54 and is buried at the Maggiore cemetery in Milan. He is survived by his wife, designer Maria Laura Rossiello Irvine, and two sons Giacomo and Giorgio. In 2015

Phaidon Press Phaidon Press is a global publisher of books on art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, and popular culture, as well as cookbooks, children's books, and travel books. The company is based in London and New York City, with additional of ...

published a monograph about his work and life with contributions from many of his collaborators and contemporaries including: designers Michele De Lucchi, George Sowden, , Thomas Sandell, Jasper Morrison, Konstantin Grcic,

Naoto Fukasawa Naoto Fukasawa (; born 1956) is a Japanese designer, author, and educator, working in the fields of Product design, product and furniture design. He is known for his product design work with the Japanese retail company Muji, as well as collaborat ...

, Alberto Meda and Marc Newson; design impresario Giulio Cappellini; design critics Deyan Sudjic and Francesca Picchi. With the publication of the book, the Triennale Design Museum hosted a tribute to Irvine titled "Stories about James" to celebrate the life and work of the designer. His eponymous company "Studio James Irvine" continues under the guidance of his wife, the architect and

Art Director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Marialaura Rossiello Irvine.

Collaborations with notable brands

Irvine worked with some of the most prestigious design-oriented companies, including: * Thonet: He designed several iconic pieces, including the S 123 barstool, merging modern materials with Thonet’s historic craftsmanship. *

: Collaborated on minimalist yet functional products reflecting the brand’s

ethos ''Ethos'' is a Greek word meaning 'character' that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology; and the balance between caution and passion. The Greeks also used this word to refer to the ...

. * Fritz Hansen: Created furniture pieces that balanced comfort with sleek, contemporary lines. * Artemide: Designed lighting solutions that embodied simplicity and practicality. *

: Worked on innovative office equipment designs. *

Mercedes-Benz buses Mercedes-Benz has been producing buses since 1895 in Mannheim in Germany. Since 1995 Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches are known by the brand name of Daimler Buses (formerly EvoBus GmbH), a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck. Heritage The wo ...

: Focused on ergonomics and practicality while maintaining visual appeal. Irvine also served as creative director for Thonet from 2007 until his passing, where he redefined the company’s design language while honoring its legacy of bentwood furniture.

Publications

* *

References

External links

*
Luminaire "A Tribute to James Irvine"

Articles about James Irvine in dezeen

James Irvine: GlassLab

Vitra Design Museum The Vitra Design Museum is a privately owned museum for design in Weil am Rhein, Germany. The architect of this building was Frank O. Gehry. His architecture was based on the art movement of the early 20th century, deconstructivism. Making the bu ...

, short film (interview) *
James Irvine: a self-portrait
', Domus magazine * {{DEFAULTSORT:Irvine, James 1958 births 2013 deaths Alumni of Kingston University Alumni of the Royal College of Art Academic staff of the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design British furniture designers British industrial designers British emigrants to Italy British glass artists Olivetti people Product designers Royal Designers for Industry