Jorge Suárez – better known as Kilzi – is not a craftsman, he is not an artist, and neither is he a product designer in the ordinary sense of the word. He is a creator of functional pieces that primarily seek beauty and a connection with nature.
Mush, his first product, was enough to reveal his intentionality and to understand that the essence of Kilzi and Cotlin Raw is almost the same. In common we have a deep admiration for nature and the main source of inspiration for our objects. At the same time, the collaboration with artisans who leave their mark on each object.
We had the pleasure of speaking with him, and it was impossible not to be instantly captivated—how could it be otherwise?
Cotlin: What cultural influences, philosophy, values… guide the design and production of your products?
Kilzi: For different reasons, beyond my control, I have been exposed to many cultures and environments. Then as an adult, perhaps because of learned behaviours or not knowing anything else, I have continued to seek to learn from other cultures and environments. At this point it is difficult to know which of them have taken on a more important role than the other. In general, I believe that the common factor is and has always been that when there are honest intentions and the work is done with sincerity, it is always possible to connect. Many human interactions go through this filter and my pieces try to connect with others (all this comes in itself from the constant need to create new relationships and to be especially aware of the new contexts in which I have moved to create good and sincere connections with others) This honesty undoubtedly passes through the sincerity in the manufacture and in the relationships with the artisans.
C: About your inspiration, tell us which creatives you follow?
K: The architect Kazuyo Sejima comes to mind right now, because I am in Tokyo and my experiences working with him have come to the surface. He has certainly been a crucial figure in my creative formation before and during my time at SANAA.
Photo: Osaka University of Arts by Kazuyo Sejima, by Mengzhu Jiang
As photographer, without intending to be too flattering (since I have worked with him), Salva López carries in his work and in his way of being, that sincerity that I previously said was so important.
As an Instagram account, that of the editor of Milk decor or that of the magazine itself, who always discover beautiful things for me.
C: ¿What kind of spaces are you looking to create with your designs?
K: I don’t believe in ‘rules’ of good taste. My designs do not seek to create a doctrine or a way of ‘doing things right’. Any space made with love and consideration that speaks of the person and where care has been taken is a space I feel honoured to be in. My work has a strong emotional component and I believe that this is the way it should be in spaces where we seek to establish sincere and fruitful human relationships.
C: Mush was the first product we got to know about you. Can you tell us about the creative process, and what the ‘manufacturing’ process is like?
K: Curiously, I don’t have a very clear idea of what inspired me to work with these forms or with this material. It was an intuitive process. I remember looking for light, airy shapes and materials that convey ambiguity in their form and texture, that were not obvious. The idea of a mushroom was not on the map at the beginning. I don’t think I’ve ever liked to design from obvious shapes or with a closed concept from the start. The process was a bit of a mess because it was the first complex piece I had made. The details were gradually refined from a slightly rougher start.
C: What do Kilzi and Cotlin Raw have in common?
K: Again, honesty in materials and concepts. Cotlin Raw’s pieces convey that lightness of spirit and that down to earth touch that is very important to me. I don’t believe that talent and an excess of ego should go hand in hand. Simplicity and humility in both projects are key and feel that way. In that sense compare ethos and the focus on the handmade and the handcrafted.
C: Which Cotlin Raw rugs do you have in your studio, and what use do you make of them?
K: We are lucky to have a huge Manhattan rug in natural colour. It is like an island of happiness that changes everyone’s face when we ‘inhabit’ it.
The ‘island’ of the 3×4 Manhattan rug is a space to go barefoot or to be more comfortable in a more industrial environment like the one we have in the office.
C: ¿Cuál es tu alfombra preferida de Cotlin Raw?
K: A pesar de tender siempre en mi diseño a piezas orgánicas, siempre me han llamado mucho la atención las alfombras y . Despite always tending towards organic pieces in my design, the Noble and Maxima rugs have always attracted my attention. The subtle checkerboard of Noble and the lightness of Maxima seem to me both dynamic and peaceful.
C: What does The New Ancestral mean to you?
K: I think this is a current of thought in today’s design world that is quite widespread and is a contradictory response to the increasingly anonymous and dehumanised industrial language. To reinterpret what makes us human and what defines our environments beyond the functional, many of us have chosen to look not a few years back, but to the origins and principles we all share in an increasingly global and industrialised society.