30UNDER30’s Lachlan Kirkland on taking Australian product design to the global stage

Lachlan Kirkland is a Sydney-based designer at YSG Studio, whose creative journey began with childhood forts in Sancrox. Below, we speak to the member of Australian Design Review‘s 30UNDER30 for 2025/2026 about the profound value of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Lachlan Kirkland: To meet new people! This is an absolutely amazing mentorship opportunity, and I want to soak up all the advice and wisdom that I can get. Also, to get to know the other 30, everyone has such interesting and rich backgrounds and roads to design, and why they do what they do, and I can’t wait to get to know everyone, and pick their brains.

What do you think are the benefits of mingling with professionals from different disciplines?

Peer-to-peer learning in design is one of the most influential parts of working in the industry. Design ethos and process is so inherently individual, and in sharing this with one another, and through collaborating and challenging, teaches us new pathways to outcomes and ways of approaching design. Interdisciplinary collaboration and learning is such an exciting opportunity to engage with and has the potential to greatly influence ones perspective moving forward.

Do you remember your first encounter with design?

I had the most amazingly adventurous childhood, growing up on acreage 30 minutes outside of Port Macquarie in Sancrox, every day was the Bridge to Terabithia for my sister and me. Running around and creating fantastic worlds, building forts with our Dad and little fairy hollows in the gardens, attuned both our brains to be inherently very creative people.

What has been a highlight of your career so far?

Definitely working on The Bankston X YSG collaboration, THE STREAKS, and exhibiting it in Copenhagen for 3 Days of Design.

A glimpse into YSG Studio’s Macleay St project in Potts Point. Image: Supplied.

The process in developing the handles with Bankston was a completely new wheelhouse working in product. Designing and putting together the installation and seeing it come to life in Copenhagen was incredible and so rewarding.

An interior perspective of YSG Studio’s Macleay St project. Image: Supplied.

This, I think, will forever be a career highlight, and I am so grateful to Bankston and YSG for having me along for the ride.

The sophisticated materiality of YSG Studio’s Macleay St residence. Image: Supplied.

What do you do to kickstart your creativity when you’re in a rut?

Definitely good music, and talking it out and/or workshopping with colleagues. Often when we are stuck, we will have informal office workshops around a computer (or WhatsApp), spit balling ideas with fresh eyes. It gets very animated, but always does the trick.