Lowie Vemeersch

Founder & Creative Director Granstudio Torino

Born in Kortrijk (Belgium) on May 9, 1974, Lowie Vermeersch grew up in Flanders and is part of the 3rd generation of a prominent artistic family.

In 1992 he started his studies in Industrial Design Engineering at the Technical University of Delft where he graduated in 1998 as “Master of Science in Industrial Design Engineering” with first class honours.

Immediately after his graduation he joined Pininfarina, where he contributed to the design of many successful cars and prototypes.

In July 2005 he was promoted to the role of Chief Designer leading one of the three Pininfarina design teams and in 2007 became Design Director of Pininfarina. As Design Director he led all the Pininfarina automotive design activities.

In October 2010 the Belgian TV Canvas dedicated a documentary to his story and professional achievements. CAR Magazine ranked him nr. 12 in the list of ‘Worlds 25 Most Influential Car Designers’ and he won the Prestigious ‘Compasso d’Oro’ award for his design of the Pininfarina Nido.

In 2011 he resigned from his position to found Granstudio in Turin to expand his experience in automotive design into the broader field of mobility.

Today Granstudio is an internationally recognized mobility design studio with a team of 60 designers, engineers and mobility experts that work on all facets of a 360° systemic mobility approach. Projects include the design of cars such as the Dallara Stradale, Lightyear One and Drako Dragon, state of the art HMI systems, smart mobility solutions and services, and urban mobility masterplans. This diversity of projects is united by Lowie’s vision that all coexisting aspects of mobility design should focus on creating the right synergy between human desires and contextual needs.

He is a regular keynote speaker, coordinator of the Master of Transdisciplinary Mobility Design at the European Design Institute, and lecturer on the role of mobility at the University of Vienna.