Ruth Aram, who directed London's Aram Store with her brother Daniel and father Zeev, has died.
A visionary retailer and champion of emerging designers, Ruth was diagnosed with a brain tumour in July 2017. She had been undergoing treatment for the disease, but died on Friday 7 September.
"Our beloved Ruth has passed away peacefully after a courageous fight against cancer. Her creative passion will live on in all of us here at Aram," said Daniel and Zeev in a statement.
As head of retail and marketing of the company, Ruth was integral in making Aram Store one of the best-known, most individual design stores in London, both at its Covent Garden showroom and online.
A qualified landscape architect, she worked at the Building Design Partnership (BDP) and IKEA before joining Aram Designs, the store founded by her father Zeev Aram on London's King's Road in 1964. It is credited with introducing Londoners to modern furniture by the likes of Le Corbusier and Marcel Breuer.
In 1991 the second Aram Designs showroom opened in Hampstead, managed by Ruth. In 1994 this would become the Ruth Aram Shop, known for championing innovative young design talent. Ruth then re-joined the family firm in 2000 and the Covent Garden store opened two years later.
Ruth is survived by her husband David Walker – an architect, whose practice Walker & Martin designed the Aram building – and her three children.
As a mark of respect, the Aram Store will be closed on Friday 14 September.