Simone Huser – Fashion for Food
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Claudia AcklinManaging Director Swiss Science Council / Managing Director Lotos-Produktionen GmbH
Simone Huser is a fashion designer with a strong focus on printing. Many of her home textiles, her silk foulards or cushions, which are filled with Swiss pinewood, have some form of print on it. That’s why, most printings are drawn from nature themes or from Swiss cultural heritage – interpreted in a modern way.
When looking at her products one will think about happy holidays in the Alps, skiing, or family meals around a wooden table. The designs seem to activate memories, even the sense of smell… On our website Simone writes: “Wenn im Herbst unser Beagle-Rüde ungeduldig und der Lederrucksack gepackt wurde, wusste ich: jetzt hat die Jagdsaison begonnen. In der Küche wurde fleissig eingemacht, was zuvor in der Natur geerntet werden konnte. Es entstanden köstliche Wildgerichte mit hausgemachtem Preiselbeermus und süsssauren Zwetschgen.“
Simone developed and grew her label „Simone Huser“ over two years now. Also with the support of the Creative Hub, she clarified a lot of questions around production (mostly in Switzerland, partly in India) or in respect to the sourcing of bio cotton (mainly from India). Furthermore, she marketed sales channels (fairs such as Design Schenken, Blickfang, but also mooris, Best Swiss, her own online store). In the course of these endeavours she intensified the search for mountain boutiques and retailers, which would be selling her products. Selling her products and finding suitable partners, she states, is the most challenging part of being a design entrepreneur. In the future, she hopes to find agents that offer her products to resellers also in France or Germany. But for now, she is training her own sales capabilities. With this, she is not alone. Many designers are modest people and shy away from praising their own products. During the start-up phase, however, marketing is the bigger part of entrepreneurship - a skill that can be trained. Simone is making progress and has made some good experiences with Design Schenken or Blickfang for example. During Christmas time, she has very good sales numbers. That’s why she is pushing forward unrelenting. Lately, she went through a re-branding process positioning her label under her personal name making clear that there is a design author at work here.
