Sam Farber, IDSA

At its annual conference in New York, NY, IDSA honored Sam Farber for his lifetime commitment to design in founding a number of very successful houseware businesses, all known for their innovative designs.

The first was Copco, founded in 1960, to manufacture and distribute porcelain-enameled cast iron cookware designed by Michael Lax, IDSA, and Margrethe mixing bowls designed by the Danish firm of Bernadotte & Bjorn, both of which have become classic designs.

In 1990, Mr. Farber founded OXO International, which produces an innovative line of ergonomic kitchen utensils called Good Grips, designed by Sam, his wife Betsy and John Farber; in collaboration with Smart Design staff members Davin Stowell, Dan Formosa, Tucker Viemeister, Michael Callahan, Steve Russak and Stephen Allendorf. The line won an IDEA award in 1990, and was named a "Design of the Decade" by IDSA in 2000. The most recent company founded by Farber is WOVO.