Rikefe Ohwosi.

RIKEFE (MIKE) OHWOSI

Freelance Industrial Designer

Firstly I would like to thank Wyn and Ahmed for asking me to write a few words about my time and experience at Middlesex Uniniversity Product Design.

Where do I start? I come from a, very much, non-traditional design background. In fact, I spent the better part of a decade playing professional rugby for a living.

So how did I become a designer? I grew up in South-East London, right next to Goldsmith University, which has produced some world-class artists and designers. My first introduction to the arts was through skateboarding. I made a lifelong friendship with a then skater and student of Goldsmith University, Karl Broome, who would often share design books ranging from graphic to furniture design.

I was hooked. For many years during school I would draw all different types of products and art, especially cars. I eventually found that I had a passion for rugby and this turned into a career for me around the age of 17. I subconsciously suppressed my love for design to focus on a career in sport. But throughout my career in rugby, I always had something in the back of my mind telling me to pursue a career change and move toward becoming a Product Designer.

Eventually, I gave in to the voices in my head and set put on a new journey to become a designer. I first studied a certificate in Communication Design at UAL and was not fulfilled as I was mainly working in the digital and print world and I really wanted to make things.

Although I had retired from full-time professional rugby I stilled played part-time to fund my studies, I was advised by my team manager to take a look at Middlesex university course offerings as they had a partnership with the club.

I managed to get in touch with Wyn and we had a meeting right in front of Goldsmiths University, where I first found my passion for design. It was almost as my passion had come full circle. I was accepted on the course and finished with First Class honours degree in 2018, which is one of my greatest achievements to date.

After I finished my degree, I entered the industry working at Mahabis as a product designer. Mahabis was a footwear brand that made the worlds first detachable slipper, we won a few design awards and I had an amazing time working in a great design team.

I decided that after a year and a half at Mahabis, I wanted to work on a broader range of products so I resigned and began freelancing.

I’ve learnt over time that to work on truly amazing projects you need an element of luck and being in the right place at the right time, enter Versace.

I was doing some freelance work from time to time with an amazing consultancy called Concept Kicks, owned by one of my best friends, and a footwear industry juggernaut, Dan Bailey. I was a few years out of University and working on projects ranging from furniture to branding and I got a call from Dan about a big job, Versace.

Dan had a friend that he worked with that needed a 3D Designer to help him with a sole design for a top-secret project. Turns out that the project would be the first-ever sneaker Versace would make for a flagship launch, talk about luck.

Over the space of a couple of months, I worked tirelessly to create the desired geometry that the designer ‘Salehe Bembery’ required. It took a lot of back and forth and almost melting my macbook pro whilst using Keyshot and Rhino simultaneously. But we got to the end of the project and the shoe, named ‘Chain Reaction’ went on to be one of Versace’s best selling sneakers and an iconic piece of footwear history.

In 2018, my partner and I decided to make the move back to her native homeland of Syndey, Australia. Since arriving in Australia we have spent some time enjoying and raising our children in leafy western Sydney suburbia. I am enjoying the slower pace of life that Sydney has to offer, it allows me to have more time to work on my freelance business whilst nurturing and developing new business relationships.

In all, I must say that if Wyn had not offered me the chance to study at MDX im not sure what I would be doing today, 5 years on.

For anyone who might be interested in Product Design I can’t speak highly enough on the MDXPD course. From day one it will immerse aspiring designers in an engaging studio environment to design, visualise and prototype human-centred solutions to many of the problems we face in an everchanging world.

MDXPD has played a pivotal role in my design journey thus far, and I am sure it will shape many more young aspiring designers from all over the world, in advancing creative boundaries and setting future design standards.

Thank you so much MDXPD!

Connect with Rikefe on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/rikefeohwosi/

Article from #MDXPD: 5 Years On (Class of 2016), #MDXPD 2021 p.46-48