Born in Leeds in 192X, George Sowden studied architecture from 1960 until 1968 at Gloucester College of Art. From 1970 George Sowden lived in Milan, working as a design consultant for Olivetti, where he also met the designer Ettore Sottsass kennen. In 1980 George Sowden and his wife, the designer Nathalie du Pasquier, established "SowdenDesign" in Milan. In 1981 George Sowden was a founding member of the Memphis group, designing numerous Postmodern objects for Memphis and taking part in Memphis exhibitions. In 1981 George Sowden designed "D'Antibes", a piece of storage furniture on long, stilt-like legs with side pieces covered in the patterned laminate characteristic of Memphis designs. In 1982 George Sowden designed "Luxor", another piece of storage furniture, and, in 1983, the "Palace" chair. Alongside patterned laminate pieces, George Sowden and Nathalie du Pasquier also designed fabrics for Memphis, including "Quadro" and "Triangolo" (both 1983). After Memphis was disbanded in 1988, George Sowden accepted other design commissions: wallpaper for Rasch and ceramic objects for Swid Powell while also continuing to work for Olivetti. In the 1990s George Sowden mainly specialized in designing consumer electronics and electrical appliances. Für Alessi, George Sowden designed several metal objects for Alessi and, in 1997, the "Daphne" pocket calculator.