George J. Sowden is a designer and product developer with extensive experience in various industrial design sectors: from the enhancement of mass-market electronic products to handcrafted products produced in limited numbers, including ceramics and glass, fabrics and carpets. He studied Architecture at the Gloucestershire College of Art in the 60s. He moved to Milan in 1970 where he began working with Ettore Sottsass and Olivetti. In 1981 he participated in the founding of Memphis.
In that same year he opened his own design studio through which he developed an industrial design consultancy, while continuing to cultivate his research work. He is married to Nathalie Du Pasquier. Since 2007 he has been a partner of Industreal, an Italian company dedicated to the promotion of design ideas. In 2010 he founded the SOWDEN brand which produces kitchenware and tableware. Sowden's interest in collaborating with artisans and small businesses, as well as in the practice of design and decoration, began in the 1970s and continues today.
In 1990 his experimentation and research were the subject of the exhibition "George J. Sowden Designing 1970–1990" organized by the Musée des Arts décoratifs et du Design in Bordeaux. In 1991 he won the Compasso d'Oro for the OFX420 fax made for Olivetti. Sowden Design's products have appeared in many specialized books, most recently Designing the 21st Century published by Taschen. In 1990, his work of experimentation and research starred in an exhibition organized by the Musées des Arts Décoratifs of Bordeaux and Marseille.
