- Please tell us about the principles that underlie the brand.
- We decided to start creating a brand, because I really want to increase the number of happy families in the world and in Russia in particular. We see a big problem in the number of divorces that are currently recorded everywhere: in Russia, in the USA, in Europe. They make up about 50%. And I see the problems that exist: lack of time for communication, lack of understanding of how a woman should look. Naturally, it is difficult for a woman who combines work and family to maintain balance, be happy and not irritated, raise children, keep calm, inspire her husband. And this inspiration is very much needed. In the collections of world designers, there is a lack of truly beautiful and feminine products that look boring through the eyes of a man and could delight him, not a woman, not be utilitarian or fashionable … Our goal isso that as many people as possible get married and say yes to each other forever. The main thing is the information space that will help a woman build a happy family, help keep her love, help a little girl who is just becoming a lady to create her own style. As a base, as a basis for being beautiful, luxurious and pleasing to men.
Alena Demina © press service Edem
- You have a very fighting business training (Alena - co-founder of the Splat cosmetic concern - editor's note) …
- To be honest, I have always been engaged in the mission, product philosophy. I am good at building meanings and bringing the product to perfection, which is what we do in this case. But the husband does the rest. After all, the main thing for me is not business, but the benefit that we bring. The company Edem good at creating a product and meanings, but it is not very good to build it as a business. All the best is yet to come.
- You launched, or rather, presented the first collection at the end of 2014. At the same time, the ill-fated Black Tuesday happened, a jump in the rate. It turns out that you took into account one course, but found yourself face to face with a completely different one. Did you have to make any compromises because of this?
- We never compromise on quality. For us, this is the basis, rule number one. When you work with wedding or evening products, there can be no compromise, everything should be the best. After all, this is the best day, the most reverent and touching. There can be no other linings - only silk; no other finishes - only handmade. No compromises should be made in this regard. All we can do in this case is to monitor the effectiveness of the team, because when you work with products of this level of complexity, time is very important. Of course, these are salaries, expensive materials, office rent and a qualified team. Therefore, we just have to be effective so as not to delay the process. Anything that can be done to meet deadlines, we must do.
© press service Edem
- How many people are in the team now?
- Only 35.
- Indeed, a little! Apparently, they are all very able-bodied.
- We have really amazing people who are very attentive to the matter, with a soul. When I turn the outfits, created for me personally, inside out, and I see that there is lace inside the cuff that no one will ever notice - and only I can feel it tactilely … This is luxury.
- How did you recruit the team?
- By recommendation only. We were lucky: 2-3 people came by themselves. It turned out that their acquaintances were also looking for work. In the end, they turned out to be the best on the market with amazing hands. When you look closely at the wedding collection, you say: "Girls, well, it's like the angels have worked hard!" So precious work. I must say, there are very few craftswomen. And most of them come from the Valentin Yudashkin brand. Because it was there that there was a school, there was a basis. It was, in fact, the only couture brand in our country. There are also nuggets - talented young people who did not have time to work for Yudashkin simply because of their age.
We select only those clients who have true love
- Did you make your first collection with Daniil Berg?
- No, not the first collection. We made the first collections with a staff designer, a girl named Galina, amazingly talented. Before us, she worked for Ulyana Sergeenko for three years and, consider, laid the foundation for the brand. Then Daniel joined our team as a creative director. With him we made three collections during the year. Yes, and now we are friends, we are talking about a possible joint future. And so - we have already signed an agreement with another creative director, a foreign one. We cannot voice his name in the press, but this is a talented guy, a Canadian, who completely coincided with us in the vision of Edem.
- Yes, I called it the first collection, although in fact it is the first show. And you have an interesting coincidence: even before the first show, you dressed two brides - Tatiana Navka and Maria Vinogradova. And thus formed a certain anticipation; brand, if you like, have been waiting. Was it a planned move or did it happen by itself?
- By itself.
- Did you have to refuse potential clients? For example, you talked and realized that the person is not "yours."
- It is very important for us in the wedding direction who the customer is. We have chosen a certain "archetype": a girl who chooses a dress for a wedding only once. They even came up with for the brand: “One life. One Love. One dress”. Bearing in mind that we select only those clients who have true love. We attract them, they are attracted to us. Of course, there are times when a customer wants something that doesn't match the brand's style. Then we refuse or persuade. Once we agreed - and the wedding was eventually canceled.
1 of 6 © Edem Press Service © Edem Press Service © Edem Press Service © Edem Press Service © Edem Press Service © Edem Press Service
- Wow! Perhaps there is a certain logic in this …
- Even by order, it is already clear whether the marriage will be real. If the customer wants excessive sexuality in the outfit, then this is not our customer at all.
- The bride is a rather difficult client. Often moody. Finding the right approach?
- I think that the clients in the suite are all capricious and demanding, this is normal. But working with a bride is also always working with a dream. This is what the girl imagined herself to be. And it is very important to psychologically liberate a person, to talk with him about what he really dreamed of, to get to the point with the product.
- I read that you are planning to launch a more budget line. Already heading in this direction?
- We are not developing in this direction yet, but we are planning. We have already found people who will embody our sketches, but in more circulation, in large quantities. Just in order to work with the price for Russian consumers, who now have not very large budgets for wedding dresses. We have couture dresses from 500 thousand to one and a half million rubles. But we see that sometimes even the price of 200-250 thousand is high; girls want lower, more affordable. Of course, below 200 is physically impossible given how high the quality of the work is. But we must make an assortment in the region of these figures, so that any bride can find something suitable for herself.
© press service Edem
- But you also have a perfume line planned! Or is she already ready?
- Not yet. The fragrances are created, the purchase is approved, as is the design, but there is some difficulty with the manufacturer in France, so for now we simply cannot physically pick up what has already been paid for. We have amazing flavors! Moreover, we have already advanced further. We also created a pair of fragrances for men and women.
- Are you planning anything else in the perfumery and cosmetic direction? Or is it just aromas so far?
- Perhaps in the future we will make gift sets for the body with gorgeous scents. Perhaps with the same ones that we already have in fragrances, because we have a huge experience in the cosmetic industry, sales channels are also wide. In order for the brand to gain mass adoption, one could try to make kits and promote them through the channels that already exist.
- Okay, back to the clothes. Couture has one peculiarity: it seems to be out of trends. Do you think this is a plus or a minus?
- For me, haute couture is always uniqueness. What it is good for is that the product does not repeat itself. And if we work in couture, we never make several of the same dresses. There are always changes in fabrics, colors, some decorative elements - so as not to meet a girl in the exact same dress at the evening and not get into an awkward position. If we talk about me as a client, then my outfits, my entire wardrobe is made up exclusively of products that were made for me in a single copy to order. It is very convenient because it is timeless. This is what I wanted, what I did not have to look for in all the stores in the world. I like to create my own, I understand very well what I want. Moreover, it is, of course, a completely different sense of the thing. When it's made just for you to order. Feel the people who put their soul into it. It is out of fashion, which also saves time and money. If I can wear a dress in 10-20 years while still being stylish, it's worth a lot.
© press service Edem
- You also make shoes, right?
- We create our own line of footwear for each collection. We plan to do this in the future. But the main thing is that we also want to make "production" footwear, we have already found factories. Classic wedding shoes, which will be presented in our boutique and other partner boutiques.
- Well, yes, wedding shoes are pretty typical.
- Yes. And it is very difficult to find the right boats. So that they are comfortable and the right color. Because very often just white ones are presented, which do not fit well with a cream dress. Or with a huge amount of metal parts that cling to the lower layers of the dress and can ruin it. Therefore, there are nuances here.
- Have you thought about other accessories? Do you have handbags?
- There are no handbags yet, but if the bride wishes, then we make not only an outfit, but also a handbag. We make hats ourselves or we work with the best French manufacturer. Headbands, silk flowers, veils - they are in great demand with us.
- And if the bride wants a cape, will you make it?
- We have capes, we even have fur wedding products. Brides really need them. When we see a bride in parks at photo shoots in a chic dress, but without beautiful boots in color or in a strange fur coat made of faux fur, this, as a rule, goes against the ideas of the bride herself.
- That is, you can collect the entire image. It is very comfortable.
“Moreover, we believe that we are obliged to provide a full service. And help the bride navigate in choosing a wedding agency, in choosing a florist, in understanding the style of the wedding, the place of the wedding. Very often, when a girl is proposed to, she still does not understand what the celebration will be like. In a conversation with the bride, we try to orient her.
- Do you plan to introduce Edem to foreign markets?
- Of course. Because any brand we build, we build immediately as an international brand. Since Russia occupies only 2% of the global financial system … This is very sad, but in fact it is. In other countries, there is no crisis, they are more susceptible to this level of products. We are planning active development in America, Arab countries, even in China next year. We even know partners who would help us in these markets. Moreover, our prices differ very much for the better for the client. And we are more flexible in terms of timing than the conventional Elie Saab.
© press service Edem
- How much do you usually prepare an outfit?
- If an Elie Saab or Zuhair Murad couture product is made from three to six months, then we can offer 1-2 months. Sometimes we can do it even in 2-3 weeks.
- An excellent option for those who literally can't stand getting married. By the way, about the Arab countries: don't you think that your products are too restrained by their standards?
- We are working with oriental brides now. If a girl wants three layers, embroidery and sequins, we do it at the highest level. It looks very elegant, beautiful and lightweight. And don't forget: the Arab market does not always mean that the customer is Arab; there are a lot of expats. And I would also like to tell you about some of our plans - to create a line of ballroom outfits, as well as for children. Because balls are very popular now; they are visited by wealthy people, patrons. People who have a high cultural level need appropriate outfits. This year we have become partners of two balls. For the next year, seeing the need in this direction, we are going to make outfits for girls 6-10 years old - such as our daughters.
- Aren't you planning a men's line? Maybe not suits, but, for example, shirts.
- This is a completely different direction, a different profile. These are other masters. So far, we simply do not have so many resources. Although our friends are already begging: "Please, sew for us, sew." In general, it is not difficult. Just before we got around.>