Profile:
“Subversive, ethical, ecological, politi-
cal, fun: this is how I see my duty as a
creator.” Philippe Starck.
Despite his thousands of projects
– completed or in the making – his
global fame and his tireless protean
inventiveness, we must never forget
the essential. Philippe Starck has a
mission and a vision: creation, what-
ever shape it takes, must make life
better for the largest number of people
possible. Starck believes this highly
poetic, political, rebellious, benevolent,
pragmatic and subversive duty must
be borne by all, and he resumes it with
the humour that has accompanied
his approach since the earliest days:
“No one is obliged to be a genius, but
everyone has to take part.”
His anticipatory concern for envi-
ronmental implications, his profound
comprehension of contemporary
mutations, his enthusiasm for imag-
ining new lifestyles, his determination
to change the world, his devotion to
a positive reduction, his love of ideas,
his desire to defend the intelligence
of usefulness – and the usefulness of
intelligence – have accompanied one
ph / Jean Baptiste Mondino
iconic creation after another… From
everyday products such as furniture
and lemon squeezers, to revolutionary
mega-yachts, micro wind-turbines,
electric cars, and hotels that aspire to
be wondrous, stimulating and intensely
vibrant places, Starck never ceases
to push the boundaries and criteria of
contemporary design.
His technological miracles are vectors
of democratic ecology, focused on
action and a respect for the future of
both humans and nature. Predicting
the phenomena of convergence and
dematerialisation, Philippe Starck has
always devised objects that demand
the most from the least. The solutions
provided by his dreams are so vital, so
essential that he was the first French-
man to be invited to the legendary TED
(Technology, Entertainment & Design)
talks, conferences that have brought
together such illustrious speakers
as Bill Clinton and Richard Branson.
Inventor, creator, architect, designer,
artistic director… Philippe Starck is all
of the above, but above all he is a man
of honesty, in the purest tradition of the
Renaissance artists.
Philippe
Starck
