Simina Filat

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Simina Filat ("SF") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

SF : From a small age I created a lot of things, but I enrolled in economics, management specialization, then I got my Master in Accounting and Auditing. Meanwhile, i already have created small items that wi was selling to my friends and with that products i were present at local handmade fairs. Then I decided to enroll in Bucharest's arts and design faculty, where I better understand what it means to be a professional in this field.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

SF : It motivates me to bring novelties in areas that require solutions for different issues. It is a challenge for me, coming from a fear of the future over-polluted, to create solutions to change the mindset of the consumer, and to reduce the excessive production of unnecessary products.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

SF : I chose to become a designer, I like and motivate me this profession, this vocation.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

SF : I would like to create at least one product only to help with the problem of plastic pollution. That's why I'm trying to create a lot of recycled materials, or materials that get to waste. My next collections will have this message very visible.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

SF : Do not stop to experience in this area, and not stop listening to the needs of the society in which he lives and to imagine the needs of future societies.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

SF : I do not know, I think any professional has a theme he has to respect, and he will do as well as he can to address the theme in his personal creative style. I think the client is the one who chooses the designer with whom he has the most chances of common language and understanding.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

SF : A good design is when it responds punctually (or improves) a certain type of problem in society.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

SF : The value of a design product is due to the need and demand on the market, the materials and techniques used and the form of marketing of that product.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

SF : I really like SF movies, so I'm very fond of the future. I would love to create for NASA or other future space companies, and I would like to work and focus on future intelligent materials and human life in space embedded in terrestrial textiles.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

SF : The project I want to start and I do not have time is in the field of biomaterials, textiles created from living matter, or living materials from which you can create clothing or home objects.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

SF : My secret thinks it's very close to my consumer, and the very long and extensive discussions about his needs.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

SF : I inspire myself from history, present and I imagine the future, but some examples of legends that have stamped my creative courage are: Zaha Hadid, Constantin Brancusi, Steve Jobs, Issey Miyake, Iris Van Herpen, Coco Chanel, and many others.

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

SF : I love the architecture of Zaha Hadid's alien world, I like and I grew up learning about Constantin Brancusi's sculptures, Steve Jobs inspires me a great deal in his success to change the social mindsets worldwide, issey miyake is a fashion designer who watch and admire for the straight and simple lines of his collections, the successes and novelties brought by iris van herpen in 3D print in fashion is remarkable.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

SF : The concept that I really care about is Ruumy, the award winning project, because I think it is part of those new forms of consumer and producer thinking in the future, it is another form of marketing and circulation of the product all over the world. relies heavily on shapes that are most commonly encountered by nomadism.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

SF : I think that all the time needs to stay very well informed about what is and what will happen in the future.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

SF : I think I would have coordinate teams in economic fields.

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

SF : The design product for me is the product that answers a possible current or future issue, is a product that improves quality of life.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

SF : My main supporter was my mother Valentina Gheorghiu, but in college I met a professor, Ioana Sanda Avram designer, who helped me to understand this area and who continues to support me.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

SF : I think I was born with certain abilities that helped me a lot in the field of design, and I was able to discover them and to deepen them in college.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

SF : The experience and information that comes to you is the most important. Obstacles are all kinds of misinformation in the media or the online environment, but you have to learn to get the right information for your needs.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

SF : I think the designers should present their works in as real and creative forms, or perhaps in new and future presentation forms. I think they should set an example and encourage new forms of expression.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

SF : I work for a very near future at a cultural event that will be based on a research in the history of handbags and leather goods in the world, and will be translated into an edited book and a history of the design of the handbag, with projects applied by workshops and sustainability and recycling programs.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

SF : My goal is not to produce environmental pollution with my creations and my passion.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

SF : You can expect me to develop and learn further without ceasing, and never stop searching for solutions for a better life.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

SF : Design creates a better society just solving small or large but important problems.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

SF : I work on a new collection of unisex bags, and on a bag-wrap collar that has the imprint of Romanian tradition and royal history in Romania. Besides, I open a bag collection that does not have a defined shape but can be molded in other shapes.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

SF : Ruumy is the project that brought me the most satisfaction because it is a novelty and is appreciated as such.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

SF : I would like to see the mentality of the producers changed, I would not like to put so much value on the money, and to put more value on the environment and on our health.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

SF : I think we are moving towards technological creation very much, but we will keep in mind traditional and manual techniques.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

SF : About one or two months.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

SF : I start from the theme and the requirements of the customer, or the consumer's wishes.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

SF : Create no waste.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

SF : I am pursuing the big companies that deal with the study of social trends and the thinking and needs of consumers in time and in the future. That's why I think the trends set the designs.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

SF : I've been exploring a lot of handcrafting methods, but in the future I want to introduce as many smart textiles into my collections.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

SF : I use Photoshop, and various applications of drawing and technical sketches.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

SF : Color, materials and final appearance have a very important role for the consumer, they have a sensational role in the first place that makes us attach to the product or not.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

SF : "Where can I buy it?"

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

SF : "What a good idea, and whow can I use this technology in my future creations?

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

SF : Yes! I have been using the idea of ​​co-creation with my clients for nine years. I really like to talk to them and guide them to what is most useful to them.

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

SF : It has greatly influenced the way of thinking and creativity, the faculty and the information about this field.

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

SF : Science fiction books have a great influence on my way of thinking about the future and the products needed for the future.

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

SF : I have developed my skills through experience and experiments.

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

SF : I would love to talk to Zaha Hadid, Coco Chanel and an alien or a person in the future.

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

SF : The awards have encouraged me to continue and deepen my profession. Perhaps in time it becomes a great pressure to come up with something new all the time, in a world where everything has already been apparently invented.

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

SF : My favorite color is yellow, my favorite place is the home office, my favorite food is cooked potatoes in every possible way, I really like the stationery and the written accessories.

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

SF : I remember the moment when I saw a person with a product I created on the street, and I managed to make a small car accident by looking at my bag in the street and driving at the same time.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

SF : It motivates me to go to the workshop because I am almost daily visited by people who wear my products, and I love to see them.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

SF : At my baptism my mother always told me that I chose from a full tray of products, notebook, pencil and scissors.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

SF : I think we will exist and live in space.

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

SF : I think the above questions covered the major topics about me, I honestly do not come to mind other things to say about me.