After years of industry achievement in both the US and Sweden, Shawn Sowers has joined Hightower as Design Director. In this new and highly collaborative role, Sowers will focus on further advancing Hightower’s enterprising, relevant brand through thoughtful and responsive product development and design.

“Major drivers for me in joining Hightower included relationships and collaboration,” said Sowers. Hightower established itself by doing things differently and evolving in ways that set them apart. Their innovative collections reflect curation at its best; always focused on what A&D professionals are currently searching for in the market,” continued Sowers. I’m so excited to be a part of the growth Hightower is experiencing, both with our in-house products and pieces curated from our partners. It’s fabulous to be here now to influence that effort.”

Most recently, Shawn served as Concept and Product Designer for Ikea. Prior, Shawn worked as Principal Design & Innovation Director for Sauder Woodworking, a top manufacturer supplying Ikea.

Sowers’ industrial design experience includes Bose Corporation’s Home Entertainment Division, Lenovo’s Personal Computing Division, ThinkCenter and ThinkStation, and IBM’s Retail Store Solutions. He has also worked as a freelance furniture designer for Starbucks. Shawn holds a BA in Studio Art from Indiana University and a Masters in Industrial Design from North Carolina State University.

Hightower CEO, Natalie Hartkopf shared her excitement about bringing Sowers on board saying, “Shawn’s design experience and proven leadership skills are terrific additions to our team as we continue working with up and coming international designers and brands. We’re prioritizing investments related to our in-house team in order to grow our product offerings and Shawn’s broad background will drive diverse thinking across our portfolio.”