Alex Willcock | |
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Born | Alexander Saul Murray Willcock March 6, 1964 |
Nationality | British |
Education | Eton College |
Occupation | |
Known for |
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Spouse | |
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]
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 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]
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]
On 25 January 2020, Willcock delivered a talk at TEDx Glasgow, where he explored the topic of the language of feelings. [14] [15]
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]
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]
Chanel is a luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquartered in London.
G Plan is a British furniture brand. It began as a pioneering range of furniture in the United Kingdom produced by E Gomme Ltd of High Wycombe. The success of G Plan led to E Gomme becoming one of the UK's largest furniture manufacturers, with profits increasing sixfold between 1952 and 1958 when it was floated as an IPO. Since 2005, G Plan has been a subsidiary of Sofa Brands International.
Ermenegildo Zegna N.V., also known as Zegna Group or the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, is an Italian luxury fashion house headquartered in Milan. It was founded in 1910 by Ermenegildo Zegna in Trivero, Biella, in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It is led by the Zegna family and is one of the most renowned Italian men’s clothing businesses internationally. As of 2021, it is a public company that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
MillerKnoll, Inc., doing business as Herman Miller, is an American company that produces office furniture, equipment, and home furnishings. Its best known designs include the Aeron chair, Noguchi table, Marshmallow sofa, Mirra chair, and the Eames Lounge Chair. Herman Miller is also credited with the 1968 invention of the office cubicle under then-director of research Robert Propst.
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Sir Terence Orby Conran was a British designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer. He founded the Design Museum in Shad Thames, London in 1989. The British designer Thomas Heatherwick said that Conran "moved Britain forward to make it an influence around the world." Edward Barber, from the British design team Barber & Osgerby, described Conran as "the most passionate man in Britain when it comes to design, and his central idea has always been 'Design is there to improve your life.'" The satirist Craig Brown once joked that before Conran "there were no chairs and no France."
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Heal's is a British furniture and homeware retail company comprising seven stores, selling a range of furniture, lighting and home accessories. The business was started in 1810 by John Harris Heal, and its headquarters have been located in Tottenham Court Road since 1818. Under Sir Ambrose Heal, the company introduced Arts and Craft style to mechanised furniture production, making it available to the middle classes. In 2001, an official guide to the archive at the Victoria & Albert Museum, wrote that for over two centuries Heal's had been known for promoting modern design and for employing talented young designers. Since 2001, the business has been owned by Wittington Investments, a company owned by the Weston family.
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Karges Furniture is a family-owned furniture company originating in Evansville, Indiana. The company manufactures custom high-end furniture which is sold mostly to designers through wholesale showrooms. After the acquisition of Karges by another luxury furniture maker, Kindel Furniture, all production of Karges was moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. All of the company's casegoods are now made in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Henrietta Sophia Conran is a British designer, retailer, cook and author. She is the founder and director of the Sophie Conran Shop.
Giulio Cappellini is the founder and art director of the eponymous Italian furniture company Cappellini based in Milan. In 2004 the Company became part of the Poltrona Frau Group. In 2021, it was acquired by the American office furnisher Haworth Inc.
Sebastian Orby Conran is a British designer, entrepreneur and inventor.
Sofa.com is a UK-based company founded in 2006 whose primary business is selling sofas, sofabeds, chairs and beds online. It has 3 showrooms in London as well as Nottingham, Bath, Glasgow, Harrogate and Guildford. More recently, it has also opened concessions in some House of Fraser department stores. The company was purchased in January 2019 by Frasers Group for "a nominal sum".
Nicholas Hofgren is a London-based financier and fund placement advisor. He married Sophie Conran in 2010 becoming the son-in-law of late Sir Terence Conran, the English designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer.
Made.com was a British e-commerce company based in London that designed and sold furniture and home accessories online. The company was founded in 2010 by serial entrepreneur Ning Li and Brent Hoberman, together with Julien Callède and Chloe Macintosh.
Javad Marandi is a British businessman, property developer and Conservative Party donor, with investments in commercial and residential real estate.
Harvey Jones Kitchens is a British kitchen designer, retailer and manufacturer. Established in 1977 by Roy Griffiths, Harvey Jones Kitchens sold hand-built, freestanding kitchen furniture.
Coco Republic is an Australian furniture retail chain. The company is involved in the retail selling of furniture and homewares, providing interior design and property styling services and the management of a design school. The company also owns and co-operates three hospitality venues under the L'Americano Espresso Bar name.