Diiis Designstudio - The triple “i” duo

They just wanted to make a birthday present for their mutual friend, here in Martina’s tiny attic apartment in Allschwil. Martina Staub and Susanne Roser were classmates at school. Afterwards they lost touch. Martina studied in Aarau and interned in Berlin while Susanne spent time in Lucerne and Cologne. Now the two are back together. And an exciting chapter is unfolding. What was originally going to be a notebook sleeve for their friend turns into a clever, runway-ready backpack. And the ideas keep coming: a minimalist holder for an all but floating candle. Vases with a false bottom. The industrial designer and object designer start to realise that they make an excellent team. Their designs share a simple principle: casual elegance paired with a small yet practical surprise.

People especially seem to be taking notice of their BUKA candleholder design. Small stores in and around Basel want to add it to their range. Staub and Roser commission a metalwork company to produce a small series, which quickly sells out. Then, international buyers come knocking: a manufacturer in New York is interested in acquiring the design rights and wants to market the candleholder worldwide.

The two designers are faced with some existential questions: How do we want to see ourselves? As two amateur artists, a professional design studio, licensors, or even producers?

These are some of their questions when they contact Creative Hub in early 2015. Susanne had heard that the organisation provided valuable assistance to founders looking to launch an idea in the creative scene. And that is exactly what happens next: for nearly two years, they receive coaching. First as part of the interactive workshop programme “Creative Committed”, then through more individualised “Creative Hub Creative Link” coaching. 

In particular, Creative Hub provides support for issues related to starting a business, not least legal and financial topics. Roser looks back: “It was a bit overwhelming at times with all the figures and tables, but still incredibly valuable. We always received a clear idea of what to do and what not to do, and how we should go about getting there.”

Meanwhile, Staub and Roser have sold the licence for their BUKA candleholder to the US buyer. And other companies are clearly enthusiastic about the duo’s talent. Mainly in the Scandinavian market, but they also have a suitor in Shanghai. Martina Staub reviews their recent progress: “Presenting at furniture fairs in Stockholm and Milan absolutely paid off. Requests from international buyers are a huge milestone for us. But we also wanted to get a foothold in the domestic market. That’s why we are very pleased that the magazine Espaces Contemporains decided to feature some of our latest work in its travelling exhibition Les Espaces du Design, which will be making a stop at the Design Days in Geneva, among other locations.”

Currently busy with an increasing number of orders, the design studio, which has meanwhile become the local equivalent of an LLC, now goes by the distinctive moniker “Diiis”. For natives of Switzerland, no additional explanation is necessary, except perhaps the meaning behind the three “i’s”. The two designers explain: “The three ‘i’s’ stand for the two of us plus the customer. The person we are designing for. It should be ‘his’ (or of course her) design – or, if I’m talking to you, yours. In German that is deins or, as we say here in Switzerland, diiis.”