V.Ryan © 2018

OWEN MACLAREN

Owen Maclaren is best known for his innovative design of a lightweight folding baby carrier. In addition, he designed the undercarriage of the famous Spitfire. The new undercarriage design, allowed the plane to manoeuver whilst on the ground and the wheels to fold into the wings, creating an aerodynamic shape. He applied his knowledge of folding lightweight tubular structures, to that of children’s push chairs.

A MACLAREN CHILD’S PUSH CHAIR

The Maclaren BO1, is lightweight due to its aluminium structure. It folds to a manageable size because of innovative design and can be carried by one hand. Ideal for getting on and off buses or folding and placing in a car boot.

THE MACLAREN B01 FOLDING
PUSH CHAIR AN ICONIC DESIGN

The B01 was the first folding push chair and it inspired other designers to follow suit. It set a high bench mark, that other designers tried to meet.
Maclaren’s use of aluminium tube, was new. After the introduction of the Maclaren B01, aluminium was considered, as the main material for many other products.
The Maclaren B01 ‘stood out’ from other similar products, in the 1960s and is still in production today (albeit, an improved version). It has stood the test of time, which is another characteristic of an iconic product.