Alex Willcock

Alex Willcock
Born	Alexander Saul Murray Willcock (1964-03-06) March 6, 1964 (age 61) England
Nationality	British
Education	Eton College
Occupation	Designer
Known for	Founder of Maker&Son Founder of Imagini Founder of The Nest
Spouse	Sophie Conran ​ ​ (m. 2002,divorced)​
Children	5

Alex Willcock is a British designer and entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of The Nest, ^{[1] [2]} the founder and former CEO of Imagini, ^[3] and a co-founder, with his son Felix Conran, of Maker&Son. ^[4]

Career

The Nest

Alex Willcock co-founded the design and brand consultancy The Nest in 1999 with Russell Pinch and Rachel Marshall. ^[5] The company was sold to St Luke's in 2004. ^[6]

Imagini

Imagini was a London-based software company established in 2006. The firm specialised in using images rather than traditional questions for marketing purposes. One of its software applications compared an individual's image selections with those in a database to identify and suggest others with similar preferences and worldviews. ^[3]

Maker&Son

In 2018, Willcock and his son Felix Conran co-founded the luxury furniture company Maker&Son. The company quickly gained recognition for its high-quality, handcrafted products including luxury sofas. In 2022, they sold the business to Inc & Co Group. ^{[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]}

Public speaking

On 25 January 2020, Willcock delivered a talk at TEDx Glasgow, where he explored the topic of the language of feelings. ^{[14] [15]}

Education

Willcock was awarded a scholarship to study classical music at Eton College, where he honed his innate musical talent, particularly in playing the violin, which he had taken up only a few years earlier. His deep appreciation for both classical and classic music has profoundly influenced his personal and professional endeavours. ^{[16] [17]}

Personal life

Willcock and his former wife, Sophie Conran, have two children, Felix Conran, who collaborates with his father as a furniture designer, ^{[18] [19]} and Coco Conran, who established herself as a fashion designer. ^[20] Alex Willcock and Sophie Conran are now divorced.

In addition, Willcock has three children from another marriage. ^[21]

References

1. "The Nest". Design Week. 11 October 2001.
2. "St Luke's buys The Nest to boost offer". Campaign. 19 November 2004.
3. Victor Keegan: Looking at a new way to make friends | Technology, The Guardian , 9 August 2007.
4. "Alex Willcock and Felix Conran Share Their Inspirations". Vanity Fair. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
5. "Right on the money". Design Week. 24 February 2005.
6. "St Luke's buys The Nest to boost offer". Campaign. 19 November 2004.
7. "Maker&Son sale bags another payday for the Conran clan". London Evening Standard. 16 August 2022.
8. "After a rough patch, Maker&Son is acquired". Business of Home.
9. "Inc&Co acquires Maker & Son - The MBS Group". The MBS Group.
10. "Maker&Son acquired by Inc & Co". Retail Bulletin. 16 August 2022.
11. "Luxury furniture maker sold to Manchester investment firm in multi-million pound deal". Business Live. 17 August 2022.
12. "Investment group completes Maker&Son acquisition". Furniture News. 23 August 2022.
13. "Furniture brand acquired by investment group". Insider Media. 18 August 2022.
14. "The language of feelings - Alex Willcock". Tedx Glasgow. 25 January 2020.
15. "The language of feelings Alex Willcock TEDxGlasgow". Youtube.
16. "Conran's protégé: what Sir Terence taught me". The Times .
17. "Home Alone". World of Interiors. 9 May 2024.
18. Ella Alexander (12 May 2021). "Inside the home of... the Maker&Son founders". Harper's Bazaar.
19. Sophie Bew (20 December 2021). "In the British Countryside, a Holiday Feast With Sofa-Shaped Butter". The New York Times Style Magazine.
20. Astrid Joss (23 December 2020). "Inside Coco Conran's chic Christmas wedding to Alex Vardaxoglou". Tatler.
21. "Creaky Floors and Leaky Windows Are the Selling Points of This 1600s British Home". Domino. 12 October 2018.