James Hadley founded Urso Studio to create innovative and sustainable products. The studio is a product of James’s passion for design and the outdoor life. Having qualified with a degree in 3D Design, James lived in Sheffield (for the climbing) designing for Lowe Alpine, before moving to Annecy (for the skiing) to design for Salomon. He now leads Urso Studio from North Cornwall (for the surfing, obviously).

James explains that Urso Studio exists to innovate. “We’re here to create emotionally durable designs, and to champion sustainability. We achieve this by putting both the consumer and the environment at the centre of our thinking”.

Enduring design is just one element of creating sustainable products. James explains “we always start with the user, understanding their vision and aspirations, getting to grips with the issues and frustrations that need to be solved. The aim is to ensure our designs deliver value, aesthetics as well as market-leading functionality. We then encourage and support our clients to source affordable and sustainable materials. Ultimately, the whole life cycle of the product is always front of mind. We want products to be meaningful and enduring, and when it’s time, be thoughtfully reintroduced into the material economy”