For CAPITAL COLLECTION, you have created a whole collection of bedroom furniture. Tell us how your collaboration with the brand developed? —The factory itself came up to me with an offer to meet and talk. Representatives of the Moscow office called me and invited me to the production, in order to get to know each other better, to tell about the specifics of the brand, its philosophy. At some point, we with the management of the company realized that we were looking in the same direction, speaking the same language. The meeting was decisive in the fall of 2015, when the factory ordered me to develop the design of its new collection for the bedroom with a full range of objects — from beds to mirrors. I really liked what happened, so I was invited to develop the design of the CAPITAL COLLECTION booth at iSaloni 2016. It was a great honor for me.

SALON: Tell us more about the collection itself: what consumer is it oriented to, what were your inspirations for when creating it, what interiors would it look best in? “Anything can be the impetus for the development of creative thought — travel, nature, architecture ... Images actually come themselves, and the idea of ​​a new collection for CAPITAL COLLECTION also appeared in my head at some intuitive level. Orion's theme is space. In general, this season I have made several collections for other factories, and they are all united by a common theme. For example, Andromeda black marble, brass and glass fixtures that I made for MATLIGHT. Coincidentally, this year is 55 years from the date of the flight of Yuri Gagarin into space and the 55th anniversary of iSaloni. Moreover, both dates fell on the same day: the anniversary exhibition, and the launch of the rocket with the first man took place on April 12. In the end, everything turned out symbolically, as if launching a rocket into space. The collection itself is made in very nuanced shades. I used a smoky-colored nubuck and a noble matte finish of the metal in the inserts, which, connecting with each other, form a certain constellation. When creating items, I always think about the end user, in which interiors furniture will look organic, and, of course, take into account the specifics of the factory, its philosophy, the audience for which it creates its collections, in what markets the factory presents its products. I wanted the Orion design to be universal, and the items were relevant in both classic and modern interiors. Such a lightweight classic that will look succinctly in any environment, in any space. It was important to create a very soft, enveloping effect, and I wanted the collection to please both men and women. Still, we are talking about the bedroom. The edges, metal inserts are something masculine. Selected shades, volume, form — more appealing to female perception.

S: Was there a response to the collection during the presentation at the exhibition in Milan? - The response was very good. The factory received a large number of requests for this collection.

S: You have your own office, you design interiors and are quite successful in this area. And how did you come to the subject design? “Indeed, I am an interior designer by education.” She studied in Russia and in England. In each object I always design something individual, non-standard: doors, stairs, interior items, etc. I order the production in Italy. And at some point there were so many copyrights that it became clear: you need to develop your own brand — EKATERINA ELIZAROVA. Now my author's collections can be seen at prestigious international venues: in Milan, London, Paris, Beijing, Singapore, etc. Gradually, recognition came, and international factories began to invite me to cooperate.

S: Is there a shortage of designers abroad? Why such an interest in Russian specialists? How can you explain this trend? —In fact, the competition is very big. There are about ten designers in Italy for one square meter. Why are Russian designers interesting? Because it is terra incognita. The West is well aware of what constitutes French style, Italian, what is Japanese, Scandinavian design. From the Russian designer is not clear what to expect. Therefore, on the one hand, it is scary and risky for factories to invite Russian designers, and on the other, it is very interesting. And those factories that have a certain courage, of course, go to a similar creative experiment. Moreover, we show a very decent result.

S: Do you develop your brand now or are you mainly focused on working with factories? - For me, the embodiment of their ideas is very important. I do not quit starting halfway. Probably, it's my character. If I design something, then I try to make it implemented. And, of course, I continue to develop my author's collections. This is my freedom, I can create without regard to the philosophy of a particular brand. Factory design is a commercial design. For my brand, I can create ultra-designer, daring collections. In 2014, one of the French auction houses signed a contract with me to create several limited editions, which are sold at auction and go to private collections. Also limited editions from EKATERINA ELIZAROVA are presented in one of the best galleries in New York.

S: So, participation in exhibitions is a synonym for success, an opportunity to enter the international arena? - Not really. In order to have a result, you need to work constantly, and in order to be represented at large international platforms, you need to create a very high quality innovative product. All significant exhibitions select participants very carefully.

S: There are Russian designers who have made a name in the West. But there are few of them, our achievements are mainly fashion. And then more exploit the theme of folklore, Russian crafts, fairy tales, the Russian avant-garde. This is a second time, I want a breakthrough, I want to break the stereotype about Russian design ... —I agree, it's time. It seems to me that all the design schools and trends that are now popular and in demand will sooner or later decline, and something must come to replace them. Perhaps it will just be Russian design.

S: That is, do you think that the design is important personality in all its manifestations? “Undoubtedly. Factories set the framework, a certain channel in which you must move. But the design is created by the person, and creates it, passing through own understanding of the beautiful. A person collects, accumulates information about the brand, about the philosophy of the factory, but every time passes it through itself. Therefore, all the trends are set by characters, designers. These are always the personalities who stand behind the image of a particular collection. To achieve the necessary authority, and this is a complex and lengthy process, you must constantly confirm your reputation as a high-class designer, produce new collections, more interesting than the previous ones. Therefore, I am working to ensure that the design of Ekaterina Elizarova has become such a brand. I argue that Russia also has talents, and maybe even better than in the West. We have a huge potential. The niche of subject design is completely unoccupied. And this is a very important process: we have yet to create the face of Russian subject design!

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