An interview with Svetlana Lezina, the founder of the company, about how it all began and what was the reason.
How the company was founded?
My father has worked in the apparel business for many years, and more than 20 years ago he came up with the technology for producing soft mannequins. He is a physicist, as a matter of fact, and it was like an inspiration for him — why not make mannequins soft?
He developed the technology, literally produced them in a garage for several years. We purchased a 3D scanner and practiced individual mannequins, which gave us a variety of scanned figures — the basis for the development of future mannequins. In 2014, I came up with the idea of sewing a cover on a mannequin completed with the markings, and our family created the RDF Group company specializing in the production of premium quality soft mannequins.
Business, for you — is all about money or something more?
We work in a rather specific niche (unlike, for example, demonstration mannequins), so there is no need to talk about some colossal earnings here. For me, something more is important: our company sets the correct, as it seems to us, trends in the market — to work on the culture of consumption in society.
When we finally began to formulate the goal of our company: why we got together here, we came to the conclusion that our goal is «To create a culture of conscious consumption in the «fashion» industry, becoming the leader in the market of tailor's mannequins».
How does conscious consumption relate to a mannequin?
We inform the designer that his career develops under the term of having three fundamental tools: a sewing machine, an overlock and a mannequin. And the quality of these basic tools will determine the result of his work and productivity.
We believe that it is important to teach the consumer to choose products of a new, high-quality level that can serve for decades, do not contain fragile plastic mechanisms, and have the shape of a real person's figure.
So, the choice of a quality mannequin is a kind of «opt for ecology»?
Certainly! When choosing a durable instrument, the designer takes two big steps towards sustainable consumption:
First, this instrument will serve for decades and will not end up in a junkyard
Second, clothes made on a "human-like", high-quality mannequin will be worn with pleasure for a long time, which is also significant for the global ecological situation.
After all, they say that waste from the textile industry is almost in second place in terms of harmful effects, after petrochemicals, and I believe that when doing a business, you need to take care not only of momentary earnings, but also of what this business gives to society.
To sum up, our message to the consumer is not «Buy our mannequins, they are the coolest», but «Choose consciously what you will be using for many years»