Women Design Pioneers from the twentieth century to today

From architects and product designers to textile artists and digital innovators, Women Design profiles a selection of the most dynamic female designers from the modern era, showcasing their finest work and celebrating their enduring influence.

Design throughout history has been profoundly shaped and enhanced by the creativity of women; as practitioners, commentators, educators and commissioners. But in a narrative that eagerly promotes their male counterparts, their contributions are all too often overlooked. Through 21 engaging profiles, Women Design rediscovers and revels in the work of pioneers such as Eileen Gray, Lora Lamm and Lella Vignelli, while shining a spotlight on modern-day trailblazers including Kazuyo Sejima, Hella Jongerius and Neri Oxman. Richly illustrated with archival imagery, this is a rare glimpse into the working worlds of some of the most influential forces in contemporary design.

Libby Sellers is a design historian, consultant and former senior curator of the Design Museum, London.

Her seven years at the Design Museum produced a wealth of exhibitions, including the first UK retrospectives of Marc Newson and Peter Saville, a celebration of the life and work of Eileen Gray, the annual Designer of Year awards and the Thomas Heatherwick Conran Foundation Collection exhibition.

Through her eponymous London-based gallery, Libby worked with some the industry’s most critical and progressive designers, commissioning works from them to sell through curated exhibitions. Her close working relationship with these designers led to the launching of many new careers and developed a broader understanding of the narrative power of critical and conceptual design. These works have been purchased by international clients, collectors and museums – including MoMA New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Victoria & Albert Museum, London and CNAP, France.

In 2015, Libby closed the gallery space to focus on writing, direct client commissions, small patrons’ circles editions and freelance curation – the first of which was an exhibition on behalf of the Serpentine Galleries during Milan’s annual Furniture Fair. She is a juror on numerous design awards, is on the vetting committees of international fairs, and has authored two publications: one on the cultures of collecting design, which was launched during Design Miami/Basel 2010 for HSBC Private Bank. Libby was nominated for the 2008 Paul Hamlyn Breakthrough Fund for cultural entrepreneurs, the Wallpaper* Courvoisier Design Awards in 2009. In 2014 she was honoured by the Women of the Year awards as a Woman of Achievement in the Arts.