Connor Renwick: Architectural Digest Names New Creatives Shaking up the Design World

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Architectural Digest Names New Creatives Shaking up the Design World

October 2018 cover of Architectural Digest

There’s nothing like up-and-coming talent to give a boast to the ever-expanding and sometimes stale design world and in October’s issue of Architectural Digest, they highlight a group of international creatives that deserve some much-needed props for helping to buck tradition with their fresh approaches. Here are four of our favorites.

Karin Gustafsson, creative director of COS with Studio Swine’s “New Spring” installation \\\ Photo courtesy of COS

After nearly 10 years at European fashion brand COS, Karin Gustafsson landed the Creative Director role two years ago and has quietly driven the brand to an even higher coveted position. With continual collections of minimalist must-haves and ventures into visually-enticing collaborations with up-and-coming artists/designers (see below), it’s no surprise COS has become such a universally loved label with much credit going to Gustafsson herself.

“Open Sky,” a 2018 project by Phillip K. Smith III in collaboration with COS \\\ Photo courtesy of COS

Taher Asad-Bakhtiari in front of his tribal weaves \\\ Photo by Ali Alavi

During this year’s ICFF, we became enamored with the gorgeous a Bernhard Textiles collection created by Tehran-born Taher Asad-Bakhtiari, who has been making a splash with his geometric weavings and floor coverings. On display were six upholstery fabrics that were designed using old-world techniques but with his bold, modern spin. His contemporary approach is bringing a fresh perspective and shining a light on the legacy of Middle Eastern weavings.

A colorful kilim by Taher Asad-Bakhtiari woven by Iranian artisans \\\ Photo by Ali Alavi

Frida Escobedo at her 2018 Serpentine Pavilion \\\ Photo by Guy Bell/Shutterstock

After attending Harvard’s Graduate School of Design where she earned a Master’s Degree in public art, Mexico-based architect Frida Escobedo set up her own studio in 2006 and has steadily amassed a solid portfolio of projects, including her latest, the Serpentine Pavilion for London’s Serpentine Gallery. Using stacks of gray concrete roof tiles, Escobedo erected a secluded courtyard that pays homage to Mexican residential architecture, a project that makes her the 18th and youngest architect to be commissioned to design the annual Serpentine Pavilion.

2018 Serpentine Pavilion in London by Frida Escobedo \\\ Photo by Iwan Baan

The partners of Harris Bugg Studio \\\ Photo by Mark Waugh\RHS

Rounding out our list is Harris Bugg Studio, an award-winning, UK-based landscape design practice founded by RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medalists Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg, who came together after growing their own successful companies. These two creatives are known to immerse themselves in their projects by thinking about each outdoor space and it’s history, as well as who might have used the space “for thousands of years.” Earlier this year, the studio’s landscape design was chosen by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for a new Kitchen Garden at RHS Garden Bridgewater.