Clever with Amy Devers

Streetwear designer Bobby Hundreds grew up as a minority of a minority, being both Korean-American and into the socal skate punk scene. He loved to draw, but was not encouraged to pursue the arts so …

Only child Cheryl Durst grew up with a tribe of imaginary friends at her side. Her scientist mom and professor dad encouraged this, since it helped with her stutter and soothed her loneliness. A deep…

Multidisciplinary designer, Raphael Navot, grew up in homes built by his dad, inventing creative escapist activities with his siblings. After the success of Silencio, a Paris nightclub collaboration …

Creative powerhouse, Maria Giudice, grew up on Staten Island painting portraits of dogs. Teens ushered in the wonderfully weird world of Rocky Horror Picture Show and the flourishing of her wildly in…

Multidisciplinary designer, Rodolfo Agrella, grew up in Venezuela with a happy place at a kid-sized table. A self-described weirdo and excellent dancer, he put it all to work as a social butterfly. N…

Germane Barnes knew he’d be an architect at age 6, before he even knew what that meant. Growing up playing basketball, he honed skills he now deftly deploys in his creative practice. After a tumultuo…

Interior designer, Clodagh, grew up in the Irish countryside running barefoot through the woods, riding horses, and rebelling. A near death experience lit a fire in her to pursue fashion and she open…

Artist and technologist, Ari Melenciano, spent her youth obsessed with music, art, and gadgets. A year in Barcelona, a city that valued art as she did, left a meaningful impression on her. Back in th…

On this Clever Extra, we deep dive into design for a water conscious world. Amy is joined by experts Jean-Jacques L’Henaff, Leader, Lixil Global Design, Americas, and Alison Lyons, Lead Researcher, L…

Julian Lennon’s adventurous spirit sprung from a semi-nomadic youth in the English countryside where he spent his days as a farm hand and climbing trees. He navigated the tricky world of being John L…

Oscar-winning costume designer Deborah L. Scott grew up sewing doll clothes, puppets, and getting swept up by the stories at the cinema. At 21 she went to work costuming show girls on the Vegas strip…

Car designer Derek Jenkins grew up surfing and steeped in the car culture of Southern California. A surfing coach tipped him off to the idea of studying car design before he even knew it was an optio…

Interior Designer Kia Weatherspoon spent her youth making frequent trips to visit her brother in prison - a deeply dehumanizing experience that left a big impression. In the military, she was deploye…

Multidisciplinary designer, Nick DuPey, hit a few rough patches growing up in Chattanooga. When his girlfriend’s mom suggested he take an art class, he found a path to fine art, graphic design, and a…

Furniture designer Jomo Tariku grew up in Ethiopia in a home full of eclectic objects collected via his dad’s travels. In the U.S. with an Industrial Design degree, he embarked on a mission to change…

Industrial designer and founding partner of Barber Osgerby, Jay Osgerby, grew up in a small town in England, with his close-knit multi-generational family and the backdrop of his grandparents’ experi…

Brooklyn-based podcaster Avery Trufelman has radio in her DNA. Her parents met while working at WNYC, so from birth she was nurtured with love and appreciation for radio. As a teenager, Avery took to…

Airbnb’s Global Head of Marketing, Hiroki Asai, grew up riding his BMX through the orchards of Cupertino, CA. But it was the visual language of skateboard culture that ensnared his creative imaginati…

Co-founder and editor-in-chief of Deem Journal, Alice Grandoit-Šutka says, as a child of Haitian immigrants, her essential function was to listen. Now this practice, a ritual that keeps her grounded …

Creature World’s Danny Cole began drawing the Creature in a dusty church basement in youth. He had his first public exhibition before graduating from high school. His work has since evolved from graf…