Estefanía Ruilope Madrid

Madrid

Updated Tuesday, March 26, 2024-00:25

She studied International Relations, a profession she never pursued since before finishing her degree she joined a communications agency as an account executive. It was her first connection with fashion. «When I saw the slowness of diplomacy, passing papers, I realized that being a manager was not my thing. "I'm not that organized," she jokes. After that she worked as a stylist at

Telva

magazine

, where she spent four years and where she has very good memories.

And the day came when the great fashion empire

Zara thought of her to create the Communication department

. «I spent fifteen years there, traveling between Madrid and Arteixo every week. I remember that we organized the first showroom in a tiny space in the Princesa store. Then, when the Serrano megastore opened, we set up a much larger and more spacious one. "It was a great personal and professional challenge of which I feel very proud."

A few months ago he turned his life around and joined his sister Inés' company, The IQ Collection, developing the decoration line The IQ home Collection. He acknowledges that he is passionate about the world of ceramics and crafts, because "it is more grateful, less fast, and has a totally different clientele than that of fashion." When he left Zara, specifically last Easter,

it was clear to him that his time in the fashion sector had come to an end

. "My sister had told me many times to go with her, and my condition for accepting was the creation of the home line." At that time Inés was organizing a big fashion show in Seville to show her new designs, so when she returned she got to work on the new project.

«I have spent half a year without lifting my head from the table. "It has been months of visiting suppliers and staying on top of them, because I needed production to go quickly and there to be no unexpected delays," Mercedes acknowledges. When she launched her first collection she didn't know if it would be successful or even if she would like it. «I admit that I had no idea if it was going to be sold or not.

I jumped into the pool, letting myself be carried away by my intuition

, with no more and no less than 250 pieces. It was a real gamble! But the reception was great. Now, in this second season that we are about to release, I am calmer because I already know how the client has behaved. Furthermore, she states that it relaxes her not to have to follow trends to the letter, as happened in the world of fashion, because in decoration there is more freedom to create.

It is inevitable to ask who was the first person who believed in his brand, and the answer is his family: "They are always there for everything." They have taken a small chalet in the Viso area that they have converted into a showroom and store that anyone can visit during business hours. She claims that her

bestseller

is the pillows and cushions, which she offers in various sizes and shades. «I think people want a bit of color and joy, we are a bit saturated with the Nordic style. "They are comfortable and pleasant and with quality material so that they do not go out of style." And

finding the color white in your collection is almost an impossible mission.

"There are some white linen napkins, but I don't use that color much, I prefer to play with other tones in the palette," she admits.

If things continue to go as they have been until now, she does not rule out opening more points of sale in other cities in Spain, but she is cautious: "I have only been there for a few months and I have to go little by little, step by step. "I don't think speed and haste are good in this type of business." One of the things that has caught her attention the most is the introduction of the bowl as part of the tableware, since she observes that “young people use a bowl more than a soup plate. So I have introduced it to the collection, with some ideals hand-painted by a lady from Cádiz. Finally,

she confesses that she is still in the phase of listening to and getting to know her client

. "You have to be in the store because it is the way to know their behavior, their tastes, their needs... it is the success of the business."