Olivia Bergin bids farewell to one of the world’s fabulous interior designers. The article below recounts David Collins’ work in numerous luxury brand boutiques, including Alexander McQueen and Miuccia Prada.
Image Source: telegraph.co.uk
Irish-born David Collins, 58, designed The Wolseley in London as well as numerous boutiques for luxury brands such as Jimmy Choo, Alexander McQueen and parts of Harrods.
David Collins, the man behind some of the most glamorous interiors in the world has passed away after suffering from a virulent form of skin cancer. Vogue.com report how Collins’s illness was only diagnosed three weeks ago.
The 58-year-old Dubliner studied architecture at the city’s Bolton Street School of Architecture before making his name in the restaurant world, designing interiors for the iconic London eatery The Wolseley, the Berkerley Hotel’s Blue Bar and the Claridge’s Bar.
“David’s death is a real shock,” said Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman. “His work merged luxury, glamour and heritage in an inimitable fashion and his company was always of the first and most enjoyable order.”
Collins founded the David Collins Studio in 1985 and had recently enjoyed numerous commissions from the fashion world. In collaboration with Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton, his studio was contracted to redesign the brand’s boutiques around the world; the Shanghai and Bal Harbour stores were unveiled last year. The company has also masterminded interiors for Harrods, Jimmy Choo and New York department store Bergdorf Goodman.
“I always tell myself, if I am going to do this job, how can I make it more interesting or make it different, that’s what has driven my career” Collins told Business of Fashion in May.
“And sometimes I try something that Miuccia Prada inspired me to do, which is I transport myself into a more difficult place and say ‘what if chromium yellow was my favourite colour, how would I do that?’ Because sometimes you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone in order to be creative.”
Collins is survived by two sisters, a brother and his mother.