Frost*collective

When Elad Yifrach was growing up his art teacher mother would entertain he and his sisters by setting up art projects on their dining room table. It wasn’t long before his bedroom was home to stacks of magazines covered in sticky notes, and he was studying a unique architecture and interior design course at Technion, “kind of like the MIT of Israel”. Yifrach is the Founder and Creative Director of L’OBJET, where he’s been bringing collections of the highest quality artistic objects to life for 20 years. His work exceeds traditional craftsmanship. Through effort, imagination and genuine collaborations with exceptionally skilled and open-minded craftspeople his collections transcend. A telltale sign of what was to come, his first prototypes were picked up by Bergdorf Goodman. Listen in as Vince and Elad discuss studying at the same design school as Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz, working with the Haas Brothers on making monsters, and the unbridled joy of bringing someone new into your

Keith Hempel always knew he was going to be an architect. Growing up in Southern California with a creative mother and a technical father, he seemed destined for the vocation. A transformative, “eye opening” and “earth shattering” year studying the craft in Florence set him on his way.     Today, he helps lead a cohort of over 500 architects, engineers, landscape architects, interior designers and planners in his role as President/Chief Design Officer at LPA Design Studios. The integrated firm delivers timeless, sustainable built environments with a collaborative approach and focus on research-driven sustainable solutions.    Listen in wherever you get your podcasts as Vince and Keith discuss how his Grandmother helped build the Apollo spacecrafts, the strengths and limitations of creative intuition and why it takes years to truly become a leader. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a teenager, Dr Michael Brand experienced moving from Canberra to Washington as both traumatic and exciting. It was on a journey back to Australia via family in Nepal with his brother, they were aged 15 and 18 respectively, that he first experienced Islamic art. He can trace a direct line from that experience to his field of study and life’s work. Brand has recently retired as Director of the Art Gallery of NSW, after guiding it through the most significant transformation in its history. He’s led galleries all over the world, from the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, to the J Paul Getty Museum in LA and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. He started his career as curator of Asian art at the National Gallery of Australia under the iconic James Mollison. Brand is a scholar of Indian and Islamic art, architecture and landscape design and has led these world-class art museums at some of the most challenging in their history. Listen in as Vince and Michael discuss trying to be ethical in the art world, fall

The question of living well is a big one. What does it actually mean? For Eva-Marie Prineas, home is where the heart is, and the way a home is planned has the most impact in how it feels to inhabit when it’s complete. Prineas founded her eponymous architecture practice in 2004. Perhaps unsurprising considering she would sit in the back yard of her family home in suburban Sydney and sketch the roofline. Her background and passion for heritage conservation and environmentally low-impact design form the basis of her work, and led her practice to win the Australian Institute of Architects ‘Best in Practice Prize in 2024. Listen in as Vince and Eva-Marie discuss drawing Sydney’s heritage Finger Wharf to scale by hand as a graduate, what it means to be a B Corp Certified architecture practice and how everything she designs stems from place. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lily Froehlicher inherited a love of luxury from her mother and a passion for travel from her father—interests that shaped her desire to create beautiful experiences for others. After studying in Paris, Shanghai, and London, and gaining experience at Hermès and Chanel, she joined Invisible Collection at its inception.   Now Managing Director, she leads the online platform connecting design lovers with handmade, limited-edition furniture by top global designers. A strong advocate for sustainability, Lily believes true luxury should be both beautiful and responsible.  Listen in as Vince and Lily discuss Invisible Collection’s NYC debut in an apartment designed by Pierre Yovanovitch, French craftsmanship, and the unique differences between French and American interior design. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once a music-obsessed kid dreaming of designing record covers, Chris Law found his rhythm in the world of sneakers. The iconic shoe designer, known by everyone who’s anyone in the sneaker world, shares how hip-hop culture, graphic design, and a love for storytelling led him to work on some of the most famous sneaker designs, ever. “Icons that are so big in the history of sneakers,” including the Adidas Superstar and Converse Chuck Taylor.  In this episode, Chris unpacks the heart of sneaker culture — from Portland’s creative scene to global fashion trends — reflecting on the magic of seeing your designs in the real world, and the emotional power shoes carry. He speaks about the evolution of the industry, from boutique stores to collectors, and the growing wave of fashion brands entering the sneaker space.  Listen in as Vince and Chris discuss the connection between footwear design, car design and typography, why he believes every brand has a voice, and what it&rsq

Growing up in public housing on Roosevelt Island in the middle of New York City’s East River, Elie Gamburg went to sleep every night staring at the city’s remarkable skyline from his bedroom window. His father was an artist and his mother a mathematician, so, “I guess I sort of had to do architecture if nothing else.”   Gamburg is a Design Principal at KPF, a global architecture firm known for designing some of the most innovative and high-profile buildings around the world. Working from New York and London, with a lot of travel around the world in between, Elie has been innovating for cities for over 20 years. His work is consistently sensitive to human scale, urban context, and sustainability. Some of the more famous projects he has worked on at KPF are the Seaport Square Master Plan and Channelside in Boston, Atlantis The Royal in Dubai and NYU Shanghai.   As a kid, everything was about buildings. Drawing them, looking at them, reading about them. After high school, he spe

As an architect, are you influenced by the environment you grew up in, even if your work looks vastly different to where you spent your formative years? John Pawson thinks so. He grew up in the north of England in the 1950s with his four sisters, playing with kids from houses around their family home. Despite being a master of minimalism, he grew up in a house that was quite the opposite.  John Pawson CBE has spent over forty years making rigorously simple architecture. His work spans everything from London’s Design Museum to the Czech Republic’s Cistercian Monastery, Calvin Klein’s store on Madison Ave in New York and a range of private homes and the furnishings to go with them. His work is defined by the use of natural materials, a sensitivity to light and spare spaces that have a feeling of calm.  At a turning point in his life as a young man, Pawson set off on a ‘round the world ticket with nothing to lose. His first stop was in Nagoya, where he had the idea to become a B

Children of immigrants are often hard workers; they’re under pressure to live up to their parents’ dreams. And it’s often thought that creativity and hard work don’t go hand in hand. Jean Lin has proven quite the opposite. Growing up in Massachusetts she was aware she came from a different place to her friends. But she credits her different upbringing, one focused on valuing family, hard work, integrity, with her success. Lin is the founder and gallerist of the downtown NYC design gallery and studio Colony. The designer’s co-op in Tribeca that’s changing the way New Yorkers shop for their interiors. With Colony, her goal is to support and foster independent designers and makers. Unlike traditional galleries, who take a 40% commission, her model is based on a monthly co-op fee (to cover the rent) and a small 15% commission. Then there’s The Designers’ Residency, an incubator program that mentors the next generation of young designers. She’s also authored a

Is it better to start a business with a fully fleshed out plan? Or can passion be the driver for success? In the case of George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, intent is everything. And you can achieve global success and excellence in your field “while still being fun and nice”. The partners in business and life founded their international creative design studio, Yabu Pushelberg, in 1980 with curiosity, passion and energy, and have been creating immersive environments and design considered products ever since. Both come from hard working families in Ontario, Canada, whose parents were gifted craftsmen, instilling in them the value of handmade art and objects. When they began, their focus was on interior design. Today, they’re a multidisciplinary practice with over 100 employees across their New York and Toronto studios addressing multiple layers of the human experience. They care about how people feel in the places they contribute to making. For them, it’s all about designing the world they

Does having a social agenda matter when you’re a landscape architect? At first, you may not think so. But when you truly understand the impact a compassionate designer can make on the spaces we inhabit, the answer is clear. Sacha Coles is a Global Design Director at ASPECT Studios and founder of the design practice’s Sydney studio. As a global design influencer, Sacha leads projects of transformational change spanning placemaking, infrastructure, play space, academic, civic institutions, and green infrastructure. If you live in Sydney, his work has impacted your life. Most likely for the better. His focus is on innovative design within a social framework, reinforcing the role that cities can play in creating economic and creative opportunities. Sacha is interested in uplifting quality of life, encouraging social equity and elevating the human spirit through design. He's been recognised as one of the top 30 Landscape Architects working globally and holds several advisory and board positions in the

Being a change-maker in the humanitarian space is universally understood to be driven by the desire to help others. Equally, a love of travel and being motivated by difficult and hard to manage problems can be a huge benefit to working in the sector. Thanks to parents who were avid travellers, and her childhood home in Massachusetts being filled with foreign exchange students, Jocelyn Wyatt grew up curious about the world. After completing a BA in Anthropology at Grinnell College and an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, she was on her way to Washington DC where she got involved in global development work. Her dream career, travelling and doing good, was set. Wyatt is CEO of Alight, a humanitarian organisation where she leads a team of over 3,500 members globally as they work alongside displaced people to co-create high-quality services and programs that address their needs. She’s also the former CEO of IDEO.org, the nonprofit design organisation she co-founded in 2011 after leading IDEO&

We’re kicking off the new year by hearing from two internationally acclaimed experts in data-driven cross-sector insights and global market intelligence. We hope the takeaways from this conversation helps set you up for a dynamic 2025. When you’ve been in business together for 25 years, and life partners for 30, parameters are important. Almost as important as knowing the right parameters to put into your AI tool to get a reliable result. Martin Raymond and Chris Sanderson are expert at both. As the founders of The Future Laboratory, they help brands and businesses around the world succeed by spotting the deviancy happening in culture before anyone else does. They’re both innately curious about the world around them, and about people. Their foresight presentations are legendary for anyone interested in being at the bleeding edge of trends. A journalist and creative director by trade, they founded the editorial platform for future trends in 2000. Just the two of them, and their dog. Fast forw

Designing sustainable tall buildings is no mean feat. Especially when the average lifespan of a commercial office building can be as little as 20 years. Oliver Tyler, Managing Director of WilkinsonEyre, one of the world’s leading architecture firms, spends his time doing exactly that. Delivering projects like the Battersea Power Station redevelopment and the award winning 8 Bishopsgate building in London with engineering and sustainability at the forefront. He’s helped build some of the most remarkable landmarks in the world. It seems his career was destiny. Aged eight or nine he was told, ‘you ought to be an architect’, thanks to his interest in building things and drawing things. Around the same time his parents were rebuilding a property, and the process of seeing drawings manifest into a built form captured his imagination for good. Tyler’s other key projects include the recently completed Elizabeth Line Liverpool Street Station, the £500 million reconstruction and over

This 150th episode, part two, of Design Your Life coincides with the 30th anniversary of Frost*collective. If you tuned in to Episode 150, you’ll know that over recent weeks, we’ve asked our audience to ask Vince anything. In this episode, you’ll hear his son Luca Frost ask Vince a selection of these questions and interview him about what motivated him to move his life and business to Australia, and the failures and successes along the way. If you’re not familiar with our host, Vince Frost is the Founder, CEO and Executive Creative Director of Frost*collective. He’s also a globally recognised and awarded creative who is passionately committed to designing a better world.   After becoming the youngest Associate Director at the infamous London design consultancy Pentagram, he started his own studio, Frost* Design in 1994. Together with his team and leading arts and cultural organisations, government, and business he works to help bring visionary ideas to life.   This year, Vince was recognised with the Australi

Welcome to episode 150! This week, we’re turning the mic on our host. In a serendipitous turn of events, this 150th episode of Design Your Life coincides with the 30th anniversary of Vince Frost’s other baby, his strategic creative studio, Frost*collective. Over recent weeks, we’ve asked our listeners and social media followers to ask Vince anything, and today his eldest son, Luca Frost, is in the interviewer’s chair. If you’re not familiar with our host, Vince Frost is the Founder, CEO and Executive Creative Director of Frost*collective. He’s also a globally recognised and awarded creative who is passionately committed to designing a better world.   After becoming the youngest Associate Director at the infamous London design consultancy Pentagram, he started his own studio, Frost* Design in 1994. Together with his team and leading arts and cultural organisations, government, and business he works to help bring visionary ideas to life.   This year, Vince was recognised with the Australian Design Prize by the

Collette Dinnigan has a storied history as one of Australia’s must successful fashion designers. Ever. But that’s just one chapter of her creative life.  Her adventurous spirit and love of colour, fabric and proportion make total sense in the context of her childhood. In the mid 70s, her father built a yacht and set sail from Durbin, South Africa for the world with his young family. When they settled in New Zealand her creative mother got involved in textile design, Collette would get the remnants and patterns, piecing them together into garments.  Her list of accolades is long. Collette became the first Australian to mount a full-scale ready-to-wear collection in Paris in October 1995, and in 1996 was invited by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to show on the prestigious Paris Fashion Week schedule. By the early 2000s, she was the darling of the international fashion scene. Dressing celebrities who didn’t want to wear the old houses on the red carpet, but something more youthful and new. In 2013, sh

Born in the small town of Hastings, New Zealand, Derek grew up in a working-class family with limited financial means and modest aspirations. His unexpected passion for photography ignited when he was a young bank teller and noticed a wedding photographer's bank statement, revealing the potential to make a living from photography. This serendipitous moment set Derek on a journey that has taken him around the world, from Sydney to Los Angeles, London, and back to Sydney. Along the way, he has worked with high-profile names such as Stella McCartney, David Walsh (MONA) and Donald Trump (in his pre-President days).  Throughout his career, Derek has learned that mastering photography goes beyond understanding technical aspects like light, composition, and form. It's equally about communication, direction, and most importantly, honesty. “That’s kind of all you have – honesty. I think people appreciate you when you are honest with them”.  It’s this kind of transparency that helps him capture the best images and achi

In some families, the parents’ DNA instructs so clearly the way their children think and work that it’s impossible to deny the familial impact. Jason Bruges is the product of just this. His dad was a software and computer engineer, and his mother a trained artist. Both influenced where and how he came to be a multidisciplinary artist and designer. His eponymous Jason Bruges Studio is internationally renowned for creating interactive spaces and surfaces that sit between the world of architecture, site specific installation art and interaction design. Considered a pioneer of this hybrid in-between space, Jason has subsequently paved the way for a new genre of design studios, artists and designer-makers. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University in London, Jason borrowed £1,000 from his dad for an airline ticket and flew to Hong Kong to meet his grandfather at the airport. He’d only met him a handful of times before. Within weeks he had a job offer from the famed architect Norman Foster. This later led to

In today’s economy, people are more considerate about what they’ll spend money on, retailers have to fight to hold or grow their market share. If there’s one person who knows this better than most, and will be the first to step into the ring, it’s Felicity McGahan. McGahan is the Group CEO of STRAND, the Australian handbags and luggage retailer, where she is leading a transformational vision for growth by modernising, digitising and internationalising every aspect of the business. Backed up by 20 years at Gap, where she left as VP or North America Marketing, and key executive roles at Reebok, Sportsgirl, Esprit, Cotton On and Sussan, she’s been with amazing brands at the right time. And been mentored by best-in-class leaders, building a reputation for successfully evolving brands for growth.   Her career in retail isn’t a total surprise. Her Dad had a chain of footwear stores, and her mum was the original Sportsgirl, modelling for the iconic Australian retailer through the 70s and 80s before becoming their ev