Good design is what makes a watch, a sofa or a car worth keeping for a lifetime. London Real has spoken to designers and makers who have built global brands by doing things their own way. They cover luxury watchmaking, furniture, custom Porsches, fashion, digital products and buildings that behave like living things. The common thread is originality: each guest explains how they turned an obsession into work that people recognise at a glance. Every full interview is free to watch.
From Hublot and TAG Heuer leader Jean-Claude Biver and the late furniture designer Timothy Oulton to Porsche collector and clothes designer Magnus Walker, Newcastle University architect Dr Rachel Armstrong and Makeshift founder Stef Lewandowski: how great design gets made.
Jean-Claude Biver has led some of the world’s leading watch brands, including Omega, Hublot and TAG Heuer, and many credit him with saving the Swiss watch industry. He talks about his 40-year career and his love of cheesemaking. The late Timothy Oulton (1967 to 2022) explained how he turned his father’s antiques shop into a global furniture brand, why he made furniture in China and how he redesigned the London Real studio. Yorkshire-born Magnus Walker describes how an obsession with the Porsche 911 began at the 1977 Earl’s Court Motor Show and led him from fashion to custom cars.
Stef Lewandowski, founder of the startup studio Makeshift, explains how he sketches with code to build digital products that give a leg up to the little guy. He talks about creating something every day and learning by hacking. Dr Rachel Armstrong, now Professor of Experimental Architecture at Newcastle University, is known for her work on living architecture: buildings that share some of the properties of living systems. She explores how science, technology and sustainability could combine to create a brighter future for the planet.
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Who has London Real interviewed about design? Brian Rose has interviewed Jean-Claude Biver, Timothy Oulton, Magnus Walker, Dr Rachel Armstrong and Stef Lewandowski.
What do the guests say makes great design? Originality comes up again and again. Timothy Oulton built his brand on being original, Magnus Walker follows his own taste in cars and clothes, and Jean-Claude Biver talks about reviving brands that others had written off.
Are the full design episodes free to watch? Yes. Every full-length interview on this page can be watched free on londonreal.tv.
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