Azamit, the founder of the SOUK event, a meeting place for lovers of beautiful artifacts in Quebec, embodies good taste. After having accompanied a multitude of designers in the development of their image, she launched, with her partner Francis Rudman, the high-end furniture brand Hintsa Rudman, with elegant pieces inspired by their history.
In the Old Montreal apartment of Azamit and her husband Francis Rudman, there are objects from the dawn of time and from distant horizons. Masks, statuettes, combs, paddles… So many treasures that sit gracefully alongside the creations of Quebec designers, artisans and artists. “No matter where I travel, I often find things that share a common thread. I like discreet things, but with character, which, taken alone, tell a story. Everything gives something authentic, like a language,” notes the expert in inspiring staging who has just launched the high-end furniture brand Hintsa Rudman with her partner and is preparing to move to Milan, the world capital of design, in late spring.
After studying fashion, rather than following a clear path, Azamit preferred to take side roads that led her to modeling, then to artistic direction for brands, without forgetting SOUK, a privileged observatory of know-how. faire québécois born under his leadership in 2003. His meeting with Francis, 3D artist, in 2014, leads to new exchanges where the desire to design things together takes shape. When the Swiss design platform Studio Fenice, with which they collaborate as a consultant and artistic director, offers them to sign a collection of furniture, they take the plunge.
Hintsa Rudman reflects the singular identities of its two founders. Hintsa thus evokes the name of Azamit’s father of Eritrean origin. The first Hiwot collection also pays homage to her maternal grandmother, a seamstress, whose first name means “life” in Ge’ez (an ancient Ethiopian language). A word that beautifully captures the soul of these first pieces associated with everyone’s childhood memories.
“We had the same kind of childhood. Going to see our grandparents has always been a trip. While working on this collection, we realized that the things seen during those years had an impact on our imagination,” says Azamit who, before leaving for Montreal at the age of fifteen, escaped every summer to Asmara. , Eritrea, a city rich in Art Deco architecture. Francis, he joined the English countryside where antiques were commonplace. The Kemeti wardrobe also carries with it the memory of an Asian piece of furniture that sat in the home of his paternal grandparents.
For this first collection, the designers went back to family photos, and stuck to a succinct choice of materials, namely walnut, travertine and aged brass to give it a more authentic patina effect. . Noble materials worked by craftsmen in a Los Angeles workshop for Studio Fenice, whose online catalog exclusively lists luxury items for the home. The furniture in the Hiwot collection thus retails from $13,000.
This sleek furniture has been designed for private individuals and interior designers looking for subtle refinement for their projects.
Unveiled confidentially at the end of January, Hintsa Rudman’s creations, whose 3D renderings can be admired on the web, should be presented to the public after the couple’s move to Milan next June. “I already wanted to move to Europe before I met Francis, and he was thinking about it too,” says Azamit. Since then, numerous trips to Italy, their love for design and the local way of life encouraged the couple to set sail for Milan with their dogs Tsuki and Puglia. A new anchor point which also has the great advantage of being at the heart of Europe and halfway to other destinations with an inspiring historical heritage.
For the time being, despite the ocean that will separate her from Montreal, Azamit does not plan to give up the SOUK. “This community project is very important to me. That’s what makes a city tick! she exclaims. If the event took a break in 2022, it is expected to come back in force this fall. In the longer term, the ambassador of Quebec design hopes to be able to forge links between creators from here and those from other distant lands.
