Seven designers setting the style in Switzerland
The Swiss fashion and accessory scene has produced its fair share of designers, who are able to give expression to new and unexpected ideas. A passion for all things Swiss is driven by fashion events that put the spotlight on these designers’ craft and by the country’s art schools, which have become a true breeding ground for up-and-coming designers.
Passionate and bold, these designers have carved out their place in Switzerland and on the international scene. They are young and brimming with talent. Let’s have a look at seven jewellery and accessory brands that are going places.
YVY: Swiss Leather luxury, leather accessories, Zurich
A passion for leather and a desire to bring novel and sustainable design to traditional craft making drove designer Yvonne Reichmuth to create YVY, an independent label for women’s leather accessories, in 2012. Her feminine, sexy designs attract attention yet are comfortable to wear and spice up the simplest outfit. Shunning mass production, her creations are made to measure and handcrafted by the designer and her team using high quality materials like Italian vegetable-tanned leather. She is regularly sought after for magazine covers, and her pieces are a common sight on fashion week runways. Her clients include a number of celebrities, such as Kylie Jenner, Monica Bellucci, Janet Jackson and Avril Lavigne. And her reputation has earned her thousands of followers on social media and international renown.
Bijoux Coquette, luxury jewels, Lausanne
Barely three years have passed since Noémie Arrigo, a self-taught jewellery designer, began adorning the delicate wrists and fingers of Swiss women with her sophisticated creations. She is already well known in Switzerland and abroad with her must-have pieces including a necklace in her Anodine collection that is worn ‘backwards’, with the toggle clasp in front. Her works are handcrafted and custom-made, and most are in 18-carat red gold. Each piece is unique and gives an avant-garde twist to standard practices in jewellery making. Noémie’s creations offer clean lines and raw, organic textures that will never go out of style. A Coquette piece is a delicate and intangible luxury that you won’t want to take off.
Exuma, handbags and clutches, Geneva
Exuma is a sun-soaked brand that was created in 2014 by Elisa and Deborah, twin sisters from a Swiss and Guatemalan background. It was during a trip to the Exuma islands in the Bahamas that they decided to launch a brand of handbags inspired by the chic and bohemian lifestyle of the islands. The sisters design their handbags and evening bags in their studio in Geneva. The exotic and colourful pieces are then handmade by a family-owned business in Spain. Ethical manufacturing is very important to the sisters, who regularly work with associations like Label Bobine, a Swiss workshop that helps women get back into the workforce.
VIU, eyewear, Zurich
VIU was formed in 2012 by five young entrepreneurs bursting with ideas. They now have more than 20 boutiques in Switzerland and abroad. Their concept? A large selection of high quality glasses with a hip retro look, for men and women, along with a reasonably-priced unisex version. Designed in Zurich and handmade in the Italian Dolomites, VIU frames “combine Swiss design and Italian know-how in pursuit of a unique and emotional product”. They have put out a number of collections, each distinct from the others, to the delight of the fashion world. With its trendy partnerships, limited-edition collections and edgy communications, this Swiss brand is just getting started.
Mayou Jewelry design, jewellery and accessories, Lausanne
With her label devoted to hatbands, designer Mayele Sakaneno adds a quirky twist to every look. In 2014 she came up with a line of hatbands – daring and highly creative pieces that make every hat unique. With only two collections so far, the young Lausanne-based brand has already been discovered by local fashionistas. All the pieces are handmade by the designer herself. Her first collection, which she named #Yvette after her grandmother, uses both Aztec- and ethnic-inspired fabrics. In her latest collection, #ColorsAndWords, she takes her work further with a series of hatbands and shoe straps made from leather offcuts from Hermès factories and 100% natural merino wool.
Kinsfolk, jewellery and scarves, Zurich and Colombo
Kinsfolk is the story of a brand created in 2012 by Josie and Jessica, two sisters who decided to design ethical jewellery and scarves that bridged their two cultures, Switzerland and Sri Lanka. Each piece is handmade using traditional Sri Lankan techniques like batik (a method of dyeing and decorating fabric). The two sisters' jewellery and scarves are timeless and fresh. Each of their collections recalls Sri Lanka in some way: most of their stones are triangular in shape, and their latest collection, Palmyrah, is reminiscent of the long palm leaves from the Jaffna region used to weave mats and baskets. Their authenticity and creativity make Kinsfolk a highly sought-after brand.
Martina Cavadini Jewels, jewellery, Ticino
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Martina Cavadini, a graduate of the European Institute of Design in Milan, launched her jewellery brand in 2015. Driven by a long fascination with the jeweller’s craft, she draws inspiration from nature and the history of ancestral tribes in creating timeless pieces that sometimes upend the norms of jewellery making. She often uses silver as her base material, but she is especially partial to “poor metals that change colour over time”, like bronze and copper. Her rings, piercing jewellery, necklaces and earrings are adorned with semi-precious stones like quartz, tourmaline and amethyst, or with animal bones and teeth. Each piece is exclusive and entirely handmade by the designer herself. Her dream? “To open my own workshop-boutique-bar in order to create while maintaining contact with my clients.” There’s no doubt that this little brand, Ticino’s best-kept secret, will soon be the talk of the town.
