I first met Lee Broom in Milan at Salone del Mobile many years ago when he was just establishing his now-stellar career. Even at that time there was a presence about the man and over the ensuing years he has proved not only his talent but his propensity for creating objects of desire. Now with his first monograph, Lee Broom’s career is on the page and we are able to explore the essence of the designer that is held in such high esteem the world over.

Fashioning Design: Lee Broom, is all that is should be but so much more. As to be expected from the uber international furniture, lighting and accessory designer, this is a book that offers beautiful imagery and insightful text with a cover that sets the scene for the drama that unfolds as each page is turned.

Fashioning Design: Lee Broom holds the imagination and provides essential information about Broom. It presents the detail and thought processes behind the design of the many objects that have made this designer such a global success. As Broom himself says, “Being a product designer is mostly solving a series of problems to eventually realise an idea.” In this book, it is obvious that the designer has certainly found solutions that manifest in beautifully refined and sophisticated physical objects, of this there is no doubt.

Showcasing the multitude of products, installations, exhibitions and films, the 225 pages of Fashioning Design: Lee Broom investigates Broom’s design personality and does it with aplomb.

Related: Lee Broom joins the INDE.Awards 2023 Jury

With text by Becky Sunshine, a foreword from Stephen Jones and contributions from Vivienne Westwood, Kelly Wearstler and Christian Louboutin, there are myriad perspectives from those who have scaled the heights within their own disparate professions and they add gravitas to the intention of the book.

Published by Rizzoli, the format of the monograph has been divided into four sections and each presents an aspect of Broom’s exuberant designing personality. Broom’s background in fashion, interior design, theatre and art, has indelibly influenced his product designs and each section explores collections and the impetus to create.

The sections comprise, ART FORM that explores Broom’s relationship with architecture and silhouette, as well as the way in which he works with form, balance, and symmetry; HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF delves into Broom’s fascination with historical starting points and reinvention and how techniques of the past can inform the future; MATERIAL BOY focuses on Broom’s meticulous approach to the process of making, his clever use of materials, and the art of collaboration; and finally, DRAMA OF DESIGN is a study of Broom’s background in theatre and fashion and how both have influenced his creative thinking and how he presents his work as immersive experiences.

Fashioning Design: Lee Broom is a consummate read for the eye and the mind and should be on every coffee table or library shelf. The images speak volumes of Broom’s talent, determination and his inspirational design journey thus far.

For Broom, this book records his accomplishments and, for the reader, it defines the talent of the designer. Fashioning Design: Lee Broom marks a special moment in the career of this now iconic star of product design and does it with the inimitable Broom style that we all know and love. Find the book online here.

Lee Broom
leebroom.com

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