Alexis Day: Born in London, double degreed in industrial design from the world-
renowned Schools of Engineering and Art & Design at Coventry University, United
Kingdom, and now the owner of a namesake multi-disciplinary design company,
Alexander McDiarmid Design. Share with us what initially spawned your
focus on yacht design?
Alexander McDiarmid: I had seen and read about big white and beige coloured yachts
from an early age but they never really floated my boat in terms of design. A visit to a
bookshop quiet literally changed everything. While flicking through the ‘Luxury
Toys’ volume in 2001, I saw the full page glossy images of the then new and
extraordinary 118 WallyPower for the very first time. That was it, I was going
to design yachts some 10 years before founding the design studio. Having
worked in a number of prestigious yacht and design studios in the UK
and Europe but seeing very little change in the overall aesthetic of large
yachts, I saw opportunity to provide a design service that focuses on
holistic while inspiring large yacht design.
AD
AM
What led the business to expand into
designing for aircraft, jets, and helicopters?
Yachting and aviation share many
similarities with clients who often have
both floating and flying assets. Designing yachts
naturally led to meeting owners with private jets
and helicopters who want to personalise their
yachts, jets and helicopters. This in turn led
us to work with various international aviation
brokers, aviation OEM’s, private companies,
individuals and airlines. In order to land a
helicopter on a large private yacht it requires more
than just a big white ‘H’ in a circle! Subsequently
we have built a number of strategic partnerships
with specialist aviation companies who work in both
yachting and aviation.
Iwana 87m Superyacht