Sam Farber

Sam Farber

Sam Farber graduated from Harvard College in the class of 1946 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. In 1960 he founded COPCO, a housewares company known for its well designed, colorful cookware and tea kettles. COPCO was sold in 1982, and Farber retired in 1988 to spend more time pursuing his interest in Outsider Art. He has curated Outsider Art exhibitions, lectured and written on the subject.

In 1990 he founded OXO International, now a leader in the manufacture of kitchen tools with innovative user-centered designs. OXO was sold to General Housewares Corporation in 1992, and Mr. Farber retired from active management in 1995. He continued to work as a consultant to General Housewares until 2001 when he and his son, John, formed Product Development Workshop, LLC to consult on design and marketing. They have worked with COPCO on the Mario Batali lines.

Farber has lectured on design and mentored design programs at graduate business schools such as Harvard, M.I.T., Babson and Carnegie Mellon.  In addition to serving on ID’s Board of Overseers, he is a director of the Corporate Design Foundation, a director of Raw Vision magazine, a former member of the Board of Governors of the Parsons School of Design and a trustee of the Museum of American Folk Art.