Town in fine shape (From Penarth Times)

Town in fine shape

A PENARTH man at the forefront of international design has spoken of his fierce pride in his home town.

Ross Lovegrove is transforming the shape of modern life across the planet with new concepts for everything from designer bottles to bamboo bicycles.

But the internationally-acclaimed designer, who is 46 and a former pupil of St Cyres Comprehensive School, has his heart in Penarth - and calls the town "uniquely beautiful" and "a jewel".

Lovegrove is one of only 90 Royal Designers for Industry in the UK, whose numbers include the likes of Sir Terrence Conran.

He has achieved worldwide fame for his contemporary designs for some of the biggest names in industry - one of his most widely recognised pieces is the iconic bottle for Ty Nant mineral water.

The designer is now based in London, but told the Penarth Times: "I feel passionately about Penarth.

"It is a uniquely beautiful location and I wish someone would come in and turn the seafront around. The town really is an absolute jewel.

"My parents live in Penarth and my dad is still playing in the local skittles league. I try to get back as often as I possibly can, but it is difficult as my work takes me abroad so often.

"I also feel very strongly that there should be a visitors' centre at Lavernock Point to celebrate the achievements of Marconi.

"What he achieved was amazing and without him modern communications wouldn't exist.

"I think the Italian shelter is fantastic and have even considered trying to do something with it myself," he added.

"When you travel a lot you come to understand the quality you get in other places and I think Penarth deserves the same quality.

"You can't deny where you come from and I'm proud to be a Penarthian."

Lovegrove's work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Guggenheim museum in New York, the Axis Centre in Japan, the Pompidou centre in Paris and London's Design Museum.

He recently completed work on the design of the interior for the new Airbus A380, and has also designed aircraft interiors for Japan Airlines and Lufthansa.

In the 1980s he produced designs for the Sony walkman and for Apple computers.

Lovegrove graduated from Manchester Polytechnic in 1980 with a first class degree and went on to become a master of design at the Royal College of Art.

After completing his studies, he went to work for leading design company Frog in West Germany.

He then spent three years in Paris with Knoll international before setting up his own design studio in London called Studio X.

Lovegrove has also designed satellite navigation equipment and of course the Ty Nant mineral water bottle.

He said: "I designed the interior for a New York restaurant called Tadao Ando which features an illuminated display of 15,000 Ty Nant bottles."

The designer has recently completed work on new-generation luggage made of vulcanised fibreboard for Globetrotter, a brand favoured by Winston Churchill and the royal family.

Another exciting project completed recently involved the design of fluorescent lighting called System X.

Later this year Lovegrove will unveil a new range of bathroom products in Turkey called The Istanbul Range.