1975: Malcolm is born into a multi-cultural family with relatives on four continents. Although holiday travel could be a complete bitch, Malcolm gains a unique, global outlook.

Admittedly, growing up on a farm in upstate New York to hippie parents of African, Asian and European decent, in a house they built by hand, is a bit out of the ordinary. But it is those ranges of influences, from the natural surroundings of the farm to the countries he visited, that create the unique cultural edge you see in Malcolm’s products today.

1981: Neighbor coins the nickname “How-come Malcolm” because he always wants to know “why?”. (“How come” is perfect English in rural upstate New York). That curiosity never fades.

1982-1994: Malcolm becomes a child-protégé inventor. Long before he knows he will be a designer, he is using his Dad’s craft workshop to develop “world changing” inventions like the fishing rod holder for his dirt bike. This creation goes on to become a huge success with the neighborhood kids.

1994-1998: Design school…ahhh, many good times, and a bit of education too. This is where Malcolm learns to hone his Calculus and English doodling skills into legitimate sketches that someone might actually pay money for.

1998: With a couple job offers after college, Malcolm weighs the options: salary, benefits, and growth potential. After much deliberation, he opts for the job closest to the beach. Priorities.

2001: Leisure time should not be measured to the 2nd decimal place.
After a couple of positions at consulting firms, Malcolm picks up design experience in a range of product areas from electronics to furniture, and toys to yachts. However, when it comes time to look for another position, he is presented with time-off details like, “you accrue 1.54 hours of vacation per week”. He knows immediately that this isn’t going to work out and decides that it is time to make it on his own.

2002: Malcolm embarks on a two month road trip spanning over 12k miles around the U.S. and Canada with his friend Tyler, Tyler’s dog Sierra and their snowboards and bikes. Conclusion: a road-trip is a great way to see a country, but two months is way too long to share a tiny tent with your friend and his dog.

2005: Being your own boss is great, making your own hours is great, running your own consultancy is OK. Meanwhile, Malcolm observes the irony that the simple, low-tech, most-needed everyday items also happen to be the most neglected design-wise.

2006-2007: Extremely confident that the world needed an alternative to skulls and crossbones and Hello Kitty, Malcolm decides to tackle that little challenge that has been on his mind: redesigning AND improving some of the most common products around us. He then teams up with press8 Collective, and steps into his role as Design Director. The Malcolm Fontier product line is born. Functional accessories officially no longer have to be unattractive.

Today: Malcolm continues to focus on redesigning neglected product areas, striving to merge “funk” and function in the objects and interiors that appeal to other adventurous go-getters. Malcolm is constantly discovering new inspirations, and continues to fuse his honest design style and egalitarian personality in all of his work. When Malcolm Fontier turns his attention to an object, the outcome is an undeniably stylish item that inspires people to relate to it in an entirely new way. See what you think.