How China’s copycats spur designer Tom Dixon to innovate, and why opportunity knocks in Hong Kong
Star designer sees newly opened shop in Central not just as a retail operation but a showroom, and is amused he’s known in Hong Kong as the ‘perfume person’ thanks to sideline in candles
British industrial designer Tom Dixon admits to still feeling awkward talking about himself as a brand.
“It’s kind of weird to see your name separate from yourself and be sold as a commodity,” says Dixon, 58, who was in Hong Kong recently visiting his first boutique in the city.
“Sometimes I get a bit bored with being ‘Tom Dixon’,” he says wryly, dressed in a tailored wool check suit despite the stifling heat.
But he does enjoy the freedom to do what he likes. At least for now.
“If you look at fashion, and people like Martin Margiela and Jil Sander, it’s very easy to lose your name,” he says, referring to the fashion designers who lost control of their eponymous labels. “When that happens, I guess I’ll worry about the decisions I made,” he says with a grin.
Despite his slight discomfort with being a brand, Dixon belongs to a select group of star industrial designers who have democratised design and taken it to the masses. Like Philippe Starck, Marc Newson and Thomas Heatherwick, among others, Dixon has been able to parlay his name and designs into commercial success but also retain credibility. “If I can interest people in design, that’s enough,” he says.