"Our mission is to show what the country is proud of": Marius Matas on the Department Store RUSSIA project.
The department store at the National Centre RUSSIA helps promote unique Russian brands. This was stated on 19 September by Marius Matas, Creative Director of the Department Store RUSSIA project, while he was delivering a speech at the Forum "International Trade Day-2025" which was hosted by the International Trade Centre.
"It is a great pride for me to work at the National Centre RUSSIA and lead such a large-scale project. We have a lot of regional manufacturers that the whole country should know," Marius Matas, Creative Director of the Department Store RUSSIA project, said.
Natural cosmetics, designer ceramics, weightless and warm downy shawls, exquisite porcelain, and other items are currently on the shelves of the Department Store RUSSIA. According to him, this project pursues two important goals at once: it introduces residents and guests of our country to a variety of unique folk crafts, and helps brands promote their products.
The Department Store is located in the very heart of the National Centre RUSSIA. Here, goods from different regions of our country are collected — the best examples of unique arts and crafts, elegant clothes of high-quality, plant-based cosmetics featuring Russian herbs, decorative items and delicious groceries. Today, the project is actively developing and scaling its presence to other regions of our country.
"Each region of Russia is famous for its unique specifics, goods and makers. For example, the symbol of the Kaliningrad region is amber. Here, we have not only amber jewelry and souvenirs, but also cosmetics containing succinic acid. The Ural is famous for its downy shawls, so the oldest factory which makes these items, "Orenshal", is presented here. This company is successfully turning ancient traditions into a trend. So our mission is to showcase our manufacturers, to demonstrate what the country is feeling proud of," Marius Matas emphasized.
He stressed that it can be very difficult for manufacturers from remote regions of Russia to present their goods in the heart of the country. No matter how good their products are, it is hard to bring them to the federal level and introduce them to consumers from other regions. Today, the Department Store is successfully solving the problem. It works not only in Moscow, but also in Vladivostok — as part of the branch of National Centre RUSSIA in the Primorye region. Marius Matas noted that several Department Stores RUSSIA will open in the country by the end of the year.
The project team has been constantly in touch with the manufacturers, and is not only proud of them, but also helps them to develop financially, Marius Matas said.
"A head of a small cosmetics brand from Buryatia said that it was very complicated to enter large retail chains. After the brand was displayed in the Department Store RUSSIA, its product "Melissa Field" was noticed in the region. The second example is a brand of natural cosmetics YASYA from the Pskov region. After taking part in the International RUSSIA EXPO at VDNH, the company got a subsidy locally, opened a factory and launched full-cycle production," Marius Matas said.
At the same time, he stressed that the Department Store's task is not just to show and sell a product. Everything is much deeper: "Our mission is to unite people. But our people are different — manufacturers, historians, scientists. And we are bringing all these people together at one venue, the National Centre RUSSIA."
This summer, a stand of the National Centre RUSSIA was presented at the International Industrial Exposition INNOPROM-2025 for the first time. In the near future, its work will be expanded abroad.
"I can't name the countries yet, but the Department Store RUSSIA will also be presented internationally. Very soon, the world will see Russian manufacturers, get acquainted with our past, and see how we effectively implement this past into the future!" Marius Matas concluded.
