Karim Rashid was born in Cairo. The family emigrated to Canada where Rashid was raised. Rashid attended high school in Mimico, Toronto.
He received a Bachelor of Industrial Design in 1982 from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. He pursued graduate design studies in Naples, Italy, with Ettore Sottsass and moved to Milan for one year at the Rodolfo Bonetto Studio. Rashid went on to work with KAN Industrial Designers in Canada. There he co-founded and designed the BabelFashion Collection and North between1985–91. In 1992, he opened a private design studio in New York City.
Oh Chair
His designs include the Garbo waste can, the Oh Chair for Umbra, a concept store for Giorgio Armani, manhole covers for the sewers of New York, perfume bottles for Kenzo, bobble water bottle, watches and tableware for Alessi, lighting for Artemide and products for Veuve Clicquot. He has also worked with Audi, Samsung, Swarowski and Armani.
He believes in a holistic approach to design, in which the sum of the parts can be more beautiful than the parts themselves. On a more mundane level, well-designed objects can add beauty and reflect the lives of those who use them.
For him, there is no distinction between high and low design; he is equally at ease, whether designing for mass-production companies or creating packaging and products for Japanese fashion innovator Issey Miyake.
His work, all sensual curves and bright colors, is instantly recognizable and has been variously described as “sensual minimalism”
His award winning designs include luxury goods for Christofle, Veuve Clicquot, and Alessi, democratic products for Umbra, Bobble, and 3M, furniture for Bonaldo and Vondom, lighting for Artemide and Fabbian, high tech products for Asus and Samsung, surface design for Marburg and Abet Laminati, brand identity for Citibank and Sony Ericsson and packaging for Method, Paris Baguette, Kenzo and Hugo Boss.
His touch expands beyond product to interiors such as the Morimoto restaurant, Philadelphia; Semiramis hotel, Athens; nhow hotel, Berlin; Universita Metro Station, Naples as well as exhibition design for Deutsche Bank and Audi.
His work is featured in 20 permanent collections and he exhibits art in galleries worldwide. He is a perennial winner of the Red Dot award, Chicago Athenaeum Good Design award and IDSA Industrial Design Excellence award.
The inspiration got from him is to see every object in a design manner which will make us to think in a different prospective and in a designer point of view.
From his work I can see the amazing bright colors and the curves which I use to apply often in my design. Most probably I will take his work as one of my work too.