After departing from his design director position at Jaguar recently, some might have wondered what Ian Callum would do with his newly found free time. As it turns out taking a well-earned break is not it; instead, he has just announced the launch of CALLUM, a design and engineering consultancy that will work in the design, lifestyle and travel sectors creating bespoke products.
Joining the award-winning British designer will be three founding members: Adam Donfrancesco, David Fairbairn and Tom Bird, all with years of experience spanning from automotive design to motorsport. Aside from Ian Callum’s list of design achievements like the Aston Martin DB9, Jaguar F-Type and more recently the F-Pace, the team’s collective achievements include the recreation of the Jaguar Lightweight E-Type, design of the Aston Martin GT8 and GT12 as well as special projects like the Jaguar C-X75.
“I wanted to get back to the essence of creativity; the challenge of producing something wonderful and personal,” explains design director, Ian Callum. “To design the alternative has always been my mantra, but always the beautiful alternative and something to enjoy. In today’s modern world, collaboration is the catalyst for new ideas, and this is our ethos and inspiration, both within our team and as we look to work with partners in the future. CALLUM is an exciting new chapter that will focus on ‘Journeys to Destinations’, and all that encompasses.”
A well-equipped 20,000ft² facility in Warwick is where CALLUM’s projects will be created, and details of the firm’s first endeavor will be revealed in the coming weeks. The facility has everything needed to turn designs into reality, from prototyping and machining to trim services, everything can be taken care of in-house.
“CALLUM brings together highly-experienced, skilled and enthusiastic people that share the same want—the opportunity and freedom to create and produce products that excite,” adds David Fairbairn, program director. “We love what we do, and we have the passion, collective experience and know-how to create some very special, diverse products across design, lifestyle and travel.” With such a collection of talented individuals at the helm, CALLUM is sure to bring some innovative and interesting products to fruition in the near future.
Images courtesy of CALLUM
