A frank conversation with Domenico Larato, chief designer of BLEST. Sincerely about the secrets of the profession, the future of the Ukrainian furniture market and about finding your place on Earth.


Domenico, tell us when you started working at BLEST, what were your top priorities?

I came to BLEST in 2012. By that time, the owner of the company, Sergey Savchenko, was looking for a consultant who could help in establishing certain issues of the production process. I was recommended to him. At that time I was working in Russia. We met, got to know each other and I was interested in the ambitions of the owner of the company, I took it as a new interesting challenge for myself.

Have you been offered the best conditions?

In fact, the offer from Ukraine was inferior to my conditions in Russia. However, the personality of Sergei Savchenko prevailed here. I felt that with this person I would be able to bring my ideas to life, get the necessary level of creative freedom. Therefore, I accepted his offer and moved to Cherkassy, ​​where the production of BLEST is located. And I worked there for almost two years.

My primary mission was to organize the work of the CTO (control and technological department) - this is, in fact, the department where new models are created. Also, it was necessary to organize the work of the leather workshop. And, of course, create new models. It was a period of active renewal of the company, updating the design of upholstered furniture that the company produced. It's nice that even eight years later, the models created at the beginning of my work at BLEST are still popular in the market. It was a very happy period in my career. 

Why then did you leave the company?

At that time, family circumstances developed that way. My wife is Russian, and our child then lived with his grandmother in Russia. We returned to Russia for the sake of a child. Back to work there again. Then, there were the Emirates: Dubai and Abu Dhabi, return to Italy, to our company Larato Design with my brother Francesco ... But for myself, I realized that my home remained in Ukraine. All these years I yearned for Ukraine and really wanted to return here. My wish came true on May 13, 2019 - I returned to BLEST again, though not to Cherkassy, ​​but to Kiev.

Why did you want to return from Italy to Ukraine?

In fact, after Ukraine, I did not feel comfortable anywhere, including in Italy. I had a lot of work, I didn't need anything, except for the feeling of such peace of mind with which I lived and worked in Ukraine. I really fell in love with Ukrainian culture, the mentality of people. I like that Ukrainians are honest and decent people. I was amazed by one situation: I was walking down the street and saw a passer-by lost his wallet, and the person walking behind him lifted the wallet, called out to the lost one, and simply returned the wallet. You see, in Italy such a situation is simply unthinkable! In Europe, the Middle East, money is on everyone's mind. Italian women say directly that love is impossible without money. They are only interested in the wealth of the husband. But in Ukraine this is not the case for the overwhelming majority. I was amazed at the attitude of Ukrainian women to their families, men, children and to themselves. Ukrainian women are very beautiful and know how to look after their beauty. They taste good. Even if the clothes are inexpensive, they will always be selected with taste. Italian women are trying to compensate for everything with the high cost of things and big names of brands. 

Tell us more about starting your design career

After serving in the army, at the age of 20, I went to work for the furniture company Natuzzi as a cutter. Then he assembled furniture, worked with upholstery materials ... In a word, in two years he went through all the possible stages of production for an ordinary worker. This period taught me to understand what decisions need to be made at the design stage so that it can be implemented in production. After two years of work, they began to trust me in leading positions. I started working as a fashion designer, prototype, creating new models of upholstered furniture.

Since childhood, I have been fond of design and have always dreamed of doing it. My mother is a fashion designer, so I learned to sew very early, to understand the properties of fabrics, colors and shades, to “see” the finished product long before its implementation. One thing that I still cannot do at a high level is sketching.

How to create a product without a sketch?

Designing without a sketch is not difficult. In Italy, designers first work in production, in practice they study the technological process. This is what gives an understanding of how to create the final product. Indeed, I do not know how to draw like Giotto, but I think in terms of production technology. Design and production should go together, be a single process, then you can predict the prospects of the product on the market. To create a “bomb” it is necessary for a product to embody four basic qualities: attractive design, functionality, comfort, and an attractive price. You can add a fifth component - ease of production. But keeping this balance is very difficult. Therefore, I am convinced that creating a design without deep knowledge of production is almost impossible. You can make a very nice sketch, even make a prototype. But when the complexity of the product and the cost of production force a high end price for the customer, the product will not be successful in the market. 

How do you see the further development of BLEST during the post-quarantine period?

BLEST has a very good team with a high level of communication. Each of our line will develop according to the plans. In 2020, we will significantly update the design of our new products, they will reflect the modern style: high backs, even more softness and comfort, high legs ... There will be even more models in natural leather in the BLEST Individual premium segment. The middle segment will continue to be represented in the BLEST Home line, and the Smart line is full of compact, beautiful and highly functional models. The BLEST Kids line of children will receive even more soft and compact furniture. Now we are additionally developing the BLEST Contract collection, which will include models for the hotel and restaurant business. We could have implemented all this in six months, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made its own adjustments. 

BLEST products are now exported to Italy. How do you assess the chances of the products of the Ukrainian company on the Italian furniture market?

In fact, BLEST has great prospects in the Italian and in general in the European market. I say this because I know the Italian market thoroughly. We offer a high quality product with an Italian design at a reasonable price. This is what is lacking not only in Italy, but in general in Europe. BLEST products are much more affordable than Italian furniture, and even surpass it in quality. The cheap segment is now offered by China and Poland, but our Ukrainian quality is many times better. My words are confirmed by the facts: on the very first day of the BLEST store in Rome, several sofas were sold, and the customers were delighted with the Ukrainian furniture. This gives us reason to consider Italy as a base for promoting our furniture to the entire European market.

How do you see the future of the company, say, in 10 years?

In ten years BLEST is a production of 50,000 m2 with a large share of export to the countries of the European Union and North America. These are not dreams, but the systematic implementation of our company's strategy. Already this year, 2020, we are planning the first stage of production expansion. True, our big plans were slightly interfered with by the coronavirus. However, we saw quarantine as a serious adjustment, and not a hopeless problem. Therefore, I am convinced that we will implement our strategy.

Already this year, in spite of everything, we started a “revolution” in furniture design on the Ukrainian market. We are significantly updating our model range. Now the trend is sofas with high backs, high legs, soft, with an increased level of comfort. And we have already presented our first novelties at the KIFF 2020 exhibition. By the end of the year we will release even more new models that are revolutionary for the Ukrainian market. Our clients will be satisfied!

 


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