David Trubridge is one of the world’s preeminent designers and a recognised leader in environmentally responsible design. Countless influential international publications have featured Trubridge’s iconic work, which ultimately launched the 'raw sophistication' design trend. 

In 2008, the French magazine Express listed him as one of the top 15 designers in the world. He is the recipient of the 2005 Antarctica fellow and in 2007 he was given NZ’s highest design award, the John Britten Award, by the Designer’s Institute of NZ.

In this episode David talks about...

— making matchstick models growing up on the Isle of Wight;

— nature versus nurture;

— studying naval architecture and how it influenced his design philosophy;

— how a broken leg led to him taking up wood carving and designing furniture;

— Margaret Thatcher's role in his decision to leave the UK and sail to the other side of the world;

— how living in the Pacific Islands and learning about Polynesian culture changed his perspective;

— settling in New Zealand and the challenges of starting all over again;

— how designing and building his own house led to a second career as an architect;

— the role free-form experimentation played in his iconic lighting designs;

— why the lack of market research helped him come up with a design that no knew they wanted;

— his sobering opinion on climate change and why our relationship with the planet has gone so badly wrong;

— the problem with greenwashing and the changes he's made to run a more sustainable business;

— why taking risks and learning from failure are so important

... and much more.