In her design, Elena strives for sustainability. She does research on existing systems, wants to understand all components and then address niches that can be optimised or reshaped. She works with leftover materials that can be recycled or up-cycled. Elena wants to create emotionally valuable objects, by using long-lasting and natural materials.
She is especially fascinated by textiles, that can be sculpted into two or three-dimensional surfaces. She is intrigued by the way fabric flows, falls, shines, covers, smoothens, roughens or polishes up. She likes to play with colours and has a good eye for colour combinations.
Elena wants to make wise decisions and therefore takes time to experiment, experience, think about the issues involved and weighing up the possibilities. When Elena is dedicated to a project, she does everything to fulfil it. She is very exact and cares about every small detail.
In 2015 Elena went to rural India to work as a Hockey coach and teacher for English at an village school. During the school holidays she had the chance to give workshops to the students. Therefore she developed a concept of how to recycle the incredible huge amount of Flip Flops that they found on the streets of the village Jatwara. Inspired by this work, she decided to study something that would allow her to design objects with a social and sustainable background. In 2017 she started studying product design at the Design Academy Eindhoven. During her studies she went for one semester of exchange to the Aalto University in Helsinki, where she participated in classes of the fashion and "creative sustainability" master. Next to that she worked as a graphic and textile designer and did several internships at clothing and design studios.