We caught up with Carlton’s budding young designers Alex Swainson and Peter Burns to see what is happening in the world of Carlton and what inspired them to come up with those funky new designs…..
Q. Tell us about your past experience/ background in design- where you guys came from?
PETER: I Graduated form Northumbria School of Design with 1st Class hons in Product Design. I then worked as packaging/ Graphic designer with luggage/ leather goods and accessories for brands such as;
Carlton/ Pierre Cardin/ Gino Ferrari / Wenger/ Swiss Gear!
ALEX: I would say the first thing that really inspired me to get into Art/design started back when I was a kid. My Uncle who is an Artist used to stay with us from time to time and I used to sit and watch him draw and sketch with charcoal. I also had this pretty mental Science teacher at school that used to do this pretty cool experiment that basically involved lighting a massive fireball indoors (which was meant to demonstrate convection). Mr Eamus you are my hero! I guess the combination of both interests naturally lead me down the path to study Industrial Design and Technology at Loughborough University. I graduated with a 2.1 BA degree with Honours. I then worked for a design consultancy called Synapse in Hertfordshire designing Audio equipment. I also worked for Smiths Medical designing medical equipment
Q. What are your inspirations when designing?
PETER: I Love Travelling- observing the way people interact with bags and luggage while I travel. Fashion and Music trends inspire me also!
ALEX: Travel is obviously important when it comes to travel goods. You always need to keep your eyes peeled when passing through airports and train stations just to see what people are carrying. I also look at cars for inspiration- for luxury ranges I look at Aston Martin and I admire the new Mini for reviving an old classic.
Q. What are your aspirations with Carlton and where would you like to take Carlton ‘design-wise’?
PETER: At the moment I see
Carlton products to be at the forefront of cutting edge and modern design. Moving forward I would like to take
Carlton to the next level, to be an inspirational brand, design led with constant new ideas and innovations to set us apart from the competition. We constantly focus on usability, functionality and new innovations, so, as part of the team I would like to create the next big thing in luggage!
ALEX: I like what we are trying to do with the brand in terms of pushing the boundaries to develop more innovative and design driven products. Every designer aspires to be working on projects of this nature. Eventually I would like to see the brand grow big enough to be leading the way in all aspects of design and manufacturing.
Q. Tell us a bit about yourselves guys- What are your hobbies and how do you like to relax when you are not at work?
PETER: I enjoy Laughing, BBQs in the sun, Water Sports, Fashion and the sweet sound of Music. I also love travelling- drawing and painting when I the have time and socializing with my friends and knocking out a few shapes on the dance floor! Watch out Justin Timberlake!
ALEX: I enjoy Karate, Skiing, Having a few beers, and I’m a bit of a film addict.
Q. What are your favourite brands and who are the designers you respect ?
PETER: My favorite brand is G-Star, I am not such a fan of the clothing but the way they market the brand is amazing! I have a lot of respect for Jonathan Ives (Apple designer) who actually graduated from my university course! He has a very laid back and simple approach to design.
ALEX: I admire Jonathan I’ ve for what he has done for the Apple brand, Marc Newson for his simplistic approach. My Favourite brands are Paul Smith, and of course Apple!
Q. What are you listening to at the moment?
PETER: Well on my ipod I have on repeat music by the Stone Roses, Kings of Leon, Justice and Little Comets (Check them out!)
ALEX: Yes I too and fro from MGMT, Coldplay and Flight of the Conchords- love them all!
Q. Who are your personal style icons
PETER: Jonny Deep’s style in the Movie Blow! You can’t get cooler than that! Also my good friend Harry, he’s bizarre!
ALEX: Jim Carry in Ace Ventura very classy.
Q. What do you think the future of luggage is?
PETER: Well I think the way forward is: Lightweight, fashion orientated (Colour!), Futuristic/ Techno fabrics…. Plus a few other things we are working on the moment, however these are TOP SECRET!
ALEX: I am loving the Space travel theme- futuristic- Especially if you look at the Virgin Galactic brand its great.
Q. What is your all time favourite piece of Carlton luggage?
PETER: Its got to be the Airtec hard sided! Also the
new ‘Marc’ business range is very nice.
ALEX: The old Airtec case. Everyone who knows
Carlton always talks about how they have had this case for 15 years and it is still going strong. It’s a classic
Q. What piece of luggage will you be holding this season?
PETER: A
Purple Multidrive spinner!
ALEX: A
Magnum Upright Q. What are you reading at the moment?
PETER: Shantaram…just finished
ALEX: American Mafia
Q. One sentence to describe you and your work
PETER: A Modern Traditionalist!
ALEX: A bit of a dreamer with an obsessive streak.
Q. Tell us something we don’t know about you???
PETER: I used to live in HONG KONG FOR 6 months (PART OF A PLACEMENT FOR UNI!)
ALEX: I have entered Knockdown Karate competitions a few times.
Q. Your Favorite quotes…
PETER: “When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target” George Fisher
ALEX: “It’s nice to be important, but its more important to be nice” Scooter 1993
Thanks guys!
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