Explore Karim Rashid’s unconventional journey shaping design amidst the complexities of the digital age

If he were granted a superpower for a day, Karim Rashid’s choice is intriguingly practical – teleportation. “I spend too much time travelling!” says the man who realised his calling at the age of five, accelerated high school, applied to university at 16 years of age and had already traversed continents by the time he was a young adult.

It is serendipitous how unconventional paths led him to extraordinary destinations in design. Born in Cairo, he lived in Rome and Paris before moving to London (as his mother is British), at two and a half years.

He was around six, aboard the Queen Elizabeth, sailing from London to Montreal, yet again moving countries (continents actually) where he won a drawing competition for children. “I drew luggage since I was really perplexed at how we packed up our entire belongings into some suitcases to go to the new world,” he explains.

He would eventually go on to establish Karim Rashid Inc in 1998 as we know it today. Referring to his growing up years, he calls himself a “confused teenager” who was torn between architecture, fine art and fashion.

He originally sought admission at Carleton University but was delayed in his application, only to be informed that he could be accepted in the architectural stream of the Industrial Design course.“I went to Carleton University expecting to study architecture, but fate had it, that the second I took some industrial design courses, I knew that it is what I wanted to do.”

Cut to present day, with innumerable projects across the spectrum of design, countless accolades and awards later, Karim lists the Artemide Cadmo, Bobble, Garbo Canfor Umbra and Prizeotel Hotel in Bremen, Germany as few of his cherished works. For Cadmo, in his words, he set out to design an object that looks like it is defined by the density of the light it contains.

A solid surface is forged into a fluid shape to elegantly rise up, and embrace what appears to be a volume of light. “Artemide was kind enough to make me a custom Cadmo for my home in baby pink,” he reveals.

Garbo, made in 1995 for Umbra is essentially a waste basket made of highly tactile polypropylene material, has found function as a clothes hamper, a champagne cooler and a vase, to list a few. “Garbo is 29 years old and still so successful and sold over 10 million pieces to-date,” he mentions.

But his most challenging project, he cites, is the Naples Metro, which commenced in 2004 and concluded in 2011. The dynamic station with vivid colours, curved walls and sculptural columns is an interesting contrast to the history, offering a point of pause and contemplation to the umpteen travellers who commute through it.

However, it is the chair that he mentions as the most complex undertaking, a “never ending challenge,” in his own words. “It is the perfect ideological model of design. It is so difficult to find an original yet authentic way of supporting our body and back. So I look towards either new structure, new form, new technology, or  new materials,” he says. But beyond a product or concept, he regards originality to be the greatest predicament of our times.

He explains, “Since the digital age is affording so much imagery that it’s harder and harder to find a personal individual authentic expression. I suggest not to look at Pinterest and Instagram and find ideas based on other criteria like human behaviour, function, production capabilities, etc.” Since there is no denying the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping the future of design, he cautions to tread carefully.

“It becomes especially easy for student designers. It is not from their soul or vision and they have not learned to conceive their ideas. Also, a strong concept is critical for good design and AI at this point is only superficial style. This is very concerning,” he advises. Although it has not deterred him from experimenting with it.

“With new technologies, I can create new sensual and organic shapes that never existed before in history,” he says. “With thousands of images of my work online I notice many designers are sending me work and just with my name and a few words it generates very amazing imagery that looks like I designed it,” he mentions.

When asked about his thoughts on product design, Karim replied, “I assumed that one had to be an architect to design a chair or a coffee machine or a product. I loved the Italian product design landscape and all those products that I admired for years that were in our house were designed by architects.”

When quizzed about what he would be if not a designer, he replied, “When I was a child I wanted to be a mathematician, but now maybe an electronic dance musician or a motivational speaker.” The Gaetano Pesce motorcycle, was a project he wished he had worked on. He replied with The World Is On Fire But We’re Still Buying Shoes by Alec Leach, when asked about his current reads.

In the ever-evolving landscape of design, Karim is not one to rest on past achievements. His journey, marked by destiny’s own plans and his passion to catalyse design for human betterment, serves as a reminder that true greatness lies in the pursuit of authenticity, and we can only but wait for what he unveils next! 

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