Young was born in
Sunderland, England. He studied at
Kingston University and graduated in 1993. Early in his career, he worked with the designer
Tom Dixon in London. A grant from the
Crafts Council in 1994 enabled him to produce his first collection. In 1997 he was selected by Sir
Terrance Conran as the "Most Inspirational British Designer". In 1994 he started his own studio and operated in England, Iceland, Taiwan before settling in Hong Kong in 2006 to avoid becoming a "European design casualty, wandering from trade fair to trade fair." Young has been the creative director for
100% Design Shanghai (2010, 2011, 2012), prior to which he was the creative director for
100% Design Tokyo (2008), and creative director of the
Asian Aerospace show (2009). He is a frequent public speaker, panellist, and design award jury member. Young has designed a wide variety of objects such as headphones, glassware, watches, bicycles, furniture, lighting, suitcases, as well as limited edition experimental furniture. He is interested in combining design with technical abilities of the local industry and often works directly with Chinese manufacturers and
industrialists. Throughout his career, he worked with clients such as
Bacardi, Brionvega, Cappellini,
Cathay Pacific,
Coalesse,
Coca-Cola, CS Rugs,
Emeco,
Giant Bicycles,
Gufram, M2O, ,
Georg Jensen, KEF,
Trussardi,
Schneider Electric,
Steelcase, Swedese, and WonderGlass. The historian and curator
Maria Cristina Didero described "his continuous testing of new technologies to push boundaries" as "a means [...] not an end", saying that "Michael is special in everything he does."'' recreational vehicle designed by Young () In 2012, Young was approached by
Chery subsidiary
MOKE International to design a 21st-century version of the Moke (styled MOKE). Young has said he considered this project a "call of duty". In 2018 Young re-engineered a continuation model, which is also used as the basis for the Electric Moke. ,
V&A (2024) In 2024, Young's collaboration with Japanese master craftsmen Nambu Tekki was included in an exhibition at Kudan House in Tokyo called
Craft x Tech Tohoku Project (also curated by Didero). The work, titled
Blossom Links, was described as an exploration of "heritage and contemporary technology [with a] history dating back centuries", the pieces in the exhibition seek to "[bring] Japan’s traditional crafts to a new, contemporary audience." The show included works by
Sabine Marcelis,
Studio Swine,
Ini Archibong,
Yoichi Ochiai, and Hideki Yoshimoto. The work was subsequently exhibited at
Design Miami Art Basel, and then at the V&A's
Prince Consort Gallery during the
London Design Festival. Also in 2024, Young's extruded aluminium
Totem light sculptures were exhibited at Gallery ALL in Shanghai. In 2025 he released a collection of
3D printed titanium eyewear. == Legacy ==