Reader Event: Super women at London Design Week

What can be learnt from the achievements of the world’s greatest female designers and antique dealers? Which has created the most valuable legacy? What are the secrets of their success? Come and find out at an inspiring event on the first day of London Design Week at 10.30am on Monday, March 9, at the London showroom of luxury lighting brand Hector Finch.

Clockwise from top left: Anahita Rigby, Charlie Porter, Jennifer Manners and Henri Fitzwilliam Lay
Meet the panellists (clockwise from top left): Anahita Rigby, Charlie Porter, Jennifer Manners and Henri Fitzwilliam Lay will hold a discussion at London Design Week.
(Image credit: Hector Finch)

The foundations of 21st-century range of creative and dynamic women whose careers flourished in an era when so many professions were dominated by men.

The details

  • When: Monday, March 9
  • Time: 10.30am
  • Where: Hector Finch, 3rd Floor, Design Centre East, Chelsea Harbour, London SW10 0XE (020–7731 8886)
  • Entry: Free, however, guests are asked to register at www.dcch.co.uk

Nancy Lancaster, Rose Cumming, Dorothy Draper, Elsie de Wolfe and later Nina Campbell shaped classic design on both sides of the Atlantic, and Charlotte Perriand and Eileen Gray pioneered a more contemporary aesthetic in architecture and furniture design. In the world of antiques, Genevieve Weaver of Guinevere and Gretchen Andersen of the Lacquer Chest had a lasting impact on taste.

The success and influence of female designers will be the subject of a panel discussion hosted by Country Life at the Hector Finch showroom at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, London SW10, that will include the interior designer Henri Fitz- william Lay and Anahita Rigby, the founder of Tat London, Charlie Porter and Jennifer Manners, founder of the eponymous rug brand. The event will be moderated by Country Life’s Giles Kime and hosted by designer Hector Finch.

Find out more and register to attend at the London Design Week 2026 website.

Clockwise from above left: Gretchen Andersen, Charlotte Perriand, Eileen Gray and Dorothy Draper

A host of dynamic women influenced the direction of design, including (clockwise from above left) Gretchen Andersen, Charlotte Perriand, Eileen Gray and Dorothy Draper.

(Image credit: Hector Finch)