Philippe Starck
Philippe Starck isn’t your average French designer. For starters, he’s not interested in herringbone — or any of the other tropes that have come to define this sartorial nation. What Starck cares about is the future. Just take a look at his archive. There is the dining chair that he co-authored with A.I. for Kartell — plus the very first cordless lamp for Flos. Two examples out of thousands that show a designer determined not just to think outside of the box but to do away with it altogether.