Karim Rashid Biography
Karim Rashid (1960 - ) is one of the most creative, prolific and non-conformist designers and architects on the contemporary scene. Born in Cairo in 1960 to an Egyptian father and an English mother, he grew up in an artistic and cosmopolitan environment, spending a period between London and Ottawa where he graduated in Industrial Design at Carleton University in 1982. He then specialized in Italy, between Naples and Milan, and finally he settled in New York, where he opened a studio in 1993. His works were born from a vision characterized by a futuristic and eccentric mood, in which color plays an essential role. For the designer, pink has the same neutral and universal value as white. Rashid's style is characterized by pop or pastel tones, bold combinations and glossy lacquered finishes. He prefers plastic and solid surfaces that can be colored and printed as desired, channeling the soft and sensual shapes that distinguish his work. The successful career of Karim Rashid, now considered one of the 10 most influential designers in the world, began in 1996 with the Umbra Garbo basket, made of injection-molded plastic, whose sinuous shape was inspired by the silhouette of the film star Greta Garbo. Followed by the Oh Chair by Umbra (1999) and the colorful Kapsule Chair for children by Offi (2001). Rashid has developed numerous projects in the fields of product and interior design, architecture and fashion, art and graphics, music and packaging. His busy career also includes publishing books and organizing exhibitions, for which he has received over 300 design awards. Among the many furnishings and accessories designed by Karim Rashid there are the Cadmo lamp collections (2006) for Artemide; Cyborg (2015) for Martinelli Luce; Apex (2015) for Fontana Arte; Floob (2007) for Kundalini; the Murano glass collections for Purho.
