Curations

Curations Corporate gifts,luxury merch for hotels, cruises, museums, events, metaverse
25+years in design

Eleonora Stefantsova is the founder of Curations and founder of The Play Agency. She built her own furniture brand, Curations (2010-2021), from the ground up and turned it into an established, well-known name in the US market. THE PLAY (2021)
Eleonora not only co-founded and leads The Play, but she is also an international businesswoman, former CEO, furniture and interior designer with a Master's

Degree in Design. She founded and built the brand Curations Limited from the ground up, and she is an expert in manufacturing home goods, furniture, accessories and apparel in European and Asian countries. She knows the design and production process better than anyone we know.

02/12/2026

When merch becomes a marketing masterpiece: the Virgin Voyages sweater story 🌊
The best projects are born from a simple question: “Why not?”
We sat with the Virgin Voyages team thinking: how do we create merchandise that passengers will wear not just on the ship, but for years after their cruise?
And then the idea was born: premium sweaters.
But not just sweaters with a logo. We were creating wearable art.
The process was incredibly exciting:
Print design took months. Dozens of variations. Every line had to reflect the brand spirit—freedom, luxury, adventure. Yet look stylish both in Soho and on the ship’s deck.
Then—materials. We tested wool (too warm), cotton (lost shape), searched for the perfect blend. Washed samples 20 times, watched how fabric and print behaved.
Worked directly with the factory, adapting design for industrial knitting machines. Every color, every detail translated into the technical language of production.
And here’s the magic:
A week after the cruise, passengers receive a package. Inside—a beautifully packaged sweater in their size. With a note: “Your voyage doesn’t end here.”
Now these sweaters live their own life around the world.
They’re worn in Parisian cafés, on walks in Tokyo, at meetings in London. Each time someone asks: “Oh, is that Virgin Voyages? Tell me!”
Each sweater is a moving brand story.
Every “where did you get that?”—a potential booking.
Every Instagram post—organic reach to thousands.
Every gift to a friend—a new brand touchpoint.
This isn’t just merch. This is top-level marketing that works for years.
Imagine: a person wears this sweater 300 times a year. That’s 300 moments when the Virgin Voyages brand is present in the world. In conversations. In memories. In new stories.
Lesson for everyone creating brand merchandise:
Quality cannot be faked. Cheap fabric, poor print—everything kills the magic instantly.
Design must be wearable. Not just a logo, but art people are proud to wear.
Personalization creates connection. A sweater in the right size is care that every recipient feels.

From Concept to Global Brand Ambassadors: The Virgin Voyages Sweater Story. The best projects don’t start with a brief. ...
02/12/2026

From Concept to Global Brand Ambassadors: The Virgin Voyages Sweater Story. The best projects don’t start with a brief. They start with a question.

How do we create merchandise that passengers will wear not just on the ship, but years after their cruise?
How do we transform a branded gift into something people genuinely want?
The answer: Premium sweaters that passengers would be proud to wear anywhere in the world.

The Creative Challenge
This wasn’t about slapping a logo on fabric. We were designing wearable art that had to:
∙ Reflect the brand essence (freedom, luxury, adventure)
∙ Be recognizable without being loud
∙ Work across different sweater colors
∙ Be technically reproducible at industrial scale
The design team created dozens of iterations.
We tested.
Discarded.
Refined.
Until we found that perfect print—one that whispered “Virgin Voyages” without words.

The Technical Journey
Beautiful design on screen and executed print on fabric are two different universes.

We worked directly with a premium factory in China, known for producing sweaters for luxury brands.
The challenge was adapting artistic vision for industrial knitting machines.
Every line, every color had to be translated into technical language.
Materials testing was extensive:
∙ Wool: Too warm for diverse travel climates
∙ Cotton: Lost structure after washing
∙ Blended compositions: We tested 47+ samples The Marketing Multiplication Effect
Now these sweaters live across the globe.
They’re worn in Parisian cafés, Tokyo streets, London meetings, New York parks.
Each time someone asks “Where did you get that?”, a conversation begins. A story is shared. Interest is sparked. Perhaps a cruise is booked.
Every sweater becomes:
∙ A traveling billboard
∙ An organic social media post
∙ A word-of-mouth conversation starter
∙ A tangible reminder of an incredible experience
∙ A bridge to future bookings One passenger wears their sweater 300+ times per year. That’s 300 brand impressions. Multiply by thousands of passengers.
The reach is exponential. The duration is years. The authenticity is unmatched.

Why 70% of Corporate Gifts Get Thrown Away(And how we’re changing that)Shanghai, 2019. I’m standing in a factory that pr...
02/12/2026

Why 70% of Corporate Gifts Get Thrown Away
(And how we’re changing that)
Shanghai, 2019. I’m standing in a factory that produces Fortune 500 souvenirs.
The manager drops this bomb: “70% of what we make never gets unpacked.”
That night, I stared at my unopened Hermès box. I couldn’t disturb its perfection.
Then it clicked.
The Math:
→ Museum magnet: $0.50 → $2 = 4x margin
→ Silk scarf: $2.50 → $20 = 8x margin
Better margins. Better perception. Same budget.
The Experiment:
I founded LUVRE to prove luxury doesn’t require luxury budgets.
Van Gogh Immersive: Replaced $2 magnets with $15 silk scarves.
Results:
✨ Instagram explosions
✨ Repeat purchases✨ 40% transaction increase
Our $25 porcelain mugs (cost $3) became cruise bestsellers.
The Industry Lie:
“Visitors only buy cheap souvenirs.”
FALSE.
People treasure beauty. They discard mediocrity.
Real Luxury Is:
→ Materials you feel
→ Stories you share
→ Experiences you extend
After 25 years producing for luxury brands: The difference between trash and treasure isn’t cost.
It’s courage to break the mold.
Question for you: What’s the best branded gift you’ve ever received? What made you keep it? 👇

When Personal Becomes Brand 💫These Christmas cards are a memory from a photoshoot for my furniture brand at the Curation...
11/27/2025

When Personal Becomes Brand 💫
These Christmas cards are a memory from a photoshoot for my furniture brand at the Curations showroom. My furniture, my daughter Gabby (she’s 16 now, but in the photo she was just a little one).
I’ve always known: you can’t create truly warm, heartfelt products while staying on the sidelines. My family, my stories, my life—that’s what my brand is. It’s the source of the love and authenticity I pour into every design I share with the world through my clients.
Being uniquely genuine is the only way to create something truly meaningful.
Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! 🙏 Thank you for being here, and to all my cherished clients who trust me and allow me to release creativity and love into the world!

Your collection isn’t a universal soldier. It’s okay not to suit everyone. That’s normal.You’re not losing clients. You’...
10/15/2025

Your collection isn’t a universal soldier. It’s okay not to suit everyone. That’s normal.
You’re not losing clients. You’re finding your people.
I’ll say more: if all buyers nod at your proposals — you’re doing something banal.
And you’re floating downstream among thousands of identical refrigerator magnets.
This means you’ve slipped into the “same as everyone else” segment. Made your collection safe and lost uniqueness.
Real luxury retail knows: if at least 70% of mass buyers don’t wince at your prices — you’re in the wrong segment.
Rejection is a quality filter.
People reject premium merchandise when they’re not ready to work with the premium segment.
It’s painful. But it’s brand positioning.
Now you’re not offering “what all tourists will buy.” Now you’re offering “what selected guests will want to buy again.”
At some point, I started creating “accessible” lines. Like merchandise for broad audiences, first — simpler, then — let’s talk about premium.
Rejections increased, and profits decreased. By the third month, I realized — to hell with compromises.
Yes, some ships will pass by. But those who take the collection will order again and again.

10/14/2025

The most profitable contracts are those that were first rejected, then came back.
Because they realized: better quality and such service don’t exist anywhere else.
After 25 years working in travel retail, I’ve learned the main thing: when 80% of standard buyers say “expensive” and 20% of premium buyers say “we’ll take it” — you’ve found your niche.
Because in an industry where everyone tries to please the average tourist, the courage to work only with the premium segment becomes your main asset.
Don’t fear mass market rejections. Fear the moment when everyone starts buying your ordinary collections for ordinary money.
Remember: every “too expensive” from mass market brings you closer to that luxury client who will say “exactly what we were looking for” and work with you for years.
In the next episode, we’ll discuss how rejections help build a portfolio of exclusively premium clients in travel retail.
Meanwhile, share: what was your most painful rejection from a cruise line or duty-free that ultimately led to a more profitable contract?

10/13/2025

Your collection isn’t a universal soldier. It’s okay not to suit everyone. That’s normal.
You’re not losing clients. You’re finding your people.
I’ll say more: if all buyers nod at your proposals — you’re doing something banal.
And you’re floating downstream among thousands of identical refrigerator magnets.
This means you’ve slipped into the “same as everyone else” segment. Made your collection safe and lost uniqueness.
Real luxury retail knows: if at least 70% of mass buyers don’t wince at your prices — you’re in the wrong segment.
Rejection is a quality filter.
People reject premium merchandise when they’re not ready to work with the premium segment.
It’s painful. But it’s brand positioning.
Now you’re not offering “what all tourists will buy.” Now you’re offering “what selected guests will want to buy again.”
At some point, I started creating “accessible” lines. Like merchandise for broad audiences, first — simpler, then — let’s talk about premium.
Rejections increased, and profits decreased. By the third month, I realized — to hell with compromises.
Yes, some ships will pass by. But those who take the collection will order again and again.
What matters isn’t the number of sales points, but the quality of sales at each point.
Retail isn’t a numbers game. It’s creating a purchase experience.
If ten mass operators refused but one premium operator took it — and their guests buy out the entire collection — you hit the bullseye.
As the founder of Duty Free Shopping said, rejection by mass buyers is a pass to the premium segment.
Yes, buyer rejection is a blow to ambitions.
Moreover, research shows that a retailer’s brain perceives rejection as a business threat.
But most often it’s not about you. People have different strategies. Different budgets. Different KPIs. And if you give the market time — the right clients will appear.

10/13/2025

The most dangerous buyer is the one afraid to take risks.
Two ships rejected your proposal — and you immediately start redesigning the concept: “Maybe remove the silk? Maybe make it simpler? Maybe like everyone else’s?”
As if a passenger didn’t just leave the gift shop, but stole your last hope for success.
Forget about those who refused. Much scarier is the buyer who will “think about it” for six months. The silent manager doesn’t make decisions, doesn’t give feedback, doesn’t respond. They just hang in your sales funnel like a hostage of their own indecision. And you, knowing they’re there, start unconsciously simplifying the concept.
An indecisive buyer is like a broken compass. And you keep hoping it will show the right direction.
If they finally honestly say “this isn’t for us” — pop the champagne. They’ve freed up space for someone who truly understands value.
Oh, how I suffered when my collection proposal for a luxury cruise line hung “under consideration” for six months with a procurement director known in the industry as “the man who never takes risks.” I tried to understand his logic. What bothered him? The price? The concept? Fear that passengers wouldn’t appreciate silk scarves with route maps?
On the tenth day of waiting, I started getting migraines.
Then I found out: they ordered polyester scarves from a Chinese supplier for a third of the price. And a month later received guest complaints about quality.
That’s when I stopped wasting time on those who confuse saving money with being smart.

07/09/2025

Removed “too much” from your concepts to not be complicated?
Now tell me who you really are. As you are.
A perfectionist — but with an artist’s soul.
You stay quiet in briefings — but your ideas change everything.
You’re definitely deeper than your Behance portfolio.
And that’s not a problem. That will become your personal brand.
I never killed anything in my style to please clients. I compensated for “too artistic” with commercial logic. “Too expensive” with smart production.
Tomorrow, choose one project where you usually hold yourself back — and show your real idea. Not to the whole market. To one client.
Always suggesting safe options? Show a bold concept.
Hiding your signature style?

Explain why it works better.
You can’t imagine what a relief that is.
You’ve seen in my portfolio how I risked with unconventional materials, experimented with forms, created what seemed “too much” — and sometimes failed.

I show this not for drama. I show it so you know: failures aren’t a reason to make boring work. They’re a reason to create more clearly.

Stop apologizing for what kind of designer you are.

I’ll tell you as a creative director: any portfolio should have 30% of projects that p**s someone off. That means you’re not white noise, but working for emotions.
I worked for corporations half my life.

Successfully. Profitably. Recognized. But sometimes I had to listen to what managers in suits said.

One — whose creativity died in college — said:
— This concept categorically doesn’t suit our brand. I forbid you to develop it.

You know, I didn’t even bother arguing. I just took that idea and implemented it for another client. It made them millions.
Kate, when someone wants to “ground” you again, tell them: “If I get grounded, you’ll lose what you need me for.”

They don’t take you for big projects? Create a case study yourself.
They don’t give you freedom in concepts? Show that freedom brings results.
Not for likes — so your real designer voice can be heard.

Now write. Honestly and without fear of not fitting corporate frameworks:

I’m a designer. I see beauty where others see chaos.
I don’t make things “to look pretty.” I create to be remembered.
I don’t take projects where they want “like competitors, but with a blue logo.”
I come where breakthrough is needed. Where surprise is needed.
I’m interested in brands whose eyes light up with anticipation instead of saying “safe.”
I bring vision. Not comfortable, not like everyone else’s, but the kind that makes your brand memorable.

Then you decide: do you need it like everyone else’s — or do you want clients to fall in love.

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+19176216333

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Our Story

TO THE TRADE. • We are one of the strongest and fastest growing creator and wholesale distributors of vintage inspired home furnishings. Our customers continue to rely on us for the latest trends, outstanding designs, and unparalleled quality. With more than 300 products to choose from, we invite you to come see our collection in person, or you could always visit our website, which is open 24 hours per day! • We offer a full-line collection, which can complement any area within your home, including Living Room, Dining Room, Bedroom, Home Office, Foyer, Study, Kitchen and Bath. Our designs are timeless, and possess beautiful textures, rich tones, unique characteristics, natural fibers and outstanding craftsmanship • Our products are stocked in a centrally located, climate controlled warehouse in North Carolina, where we can service your account quickly. We provide very competitive and reliable LTL service throughout most of the United States. We also offer a highly competitive container direct program for those who wish to bring our products into their warehouses in larger quantities. Please let us know which program is better suited for your business. • Our mission is to provide you with outstanding quality, back by excellent service. We work directly with the factories and the Q.C. teams to insure the consistent quality and construction that our dealers rely on us for. Our Customer Service team is based in our High Point showroom office, and they are always ready and willing to help you when called upon.