Thomas O'Brien: "You have to fight for the things you're passionate about."

Like so many leaders in the design industry, Thomas O’Brien began his career working for Ralph Lauren. When he went out on his own in the early nineties he found quick success with Aero, a buzzy shop in SoHo that led to designing stores for Donna Karan and Giorgio Armani. O’Brien also found great success in product—his lines for Waterworks, Hickory Chair and Visual Comfort have all been runaway bestsellers, and his collaboration with Target paved the way for high-end designers to partner with mass market brands. 

On this episode of the podcast, he speaks with Dennis Scully about the passion that’s missing in the industry today, the importance of fighting for choices you believe in, and why, despite the blue chip licensing deals, he considers himself a shopkeeper at heart.

This episode was sponsored by Serena & Lily and Baker + Hesseldenz

LINKS
Thomas O'Brien/Aero 
The  Rhinelander
O'Brien's Osiris light for Visual Comfort
Dennis Scully
Business of Home