Swiss fashion house Akiris, with its roots in fine fabrics, celebrates a century in Paris – WWD

Acres is perhaps the only house on the international fashion calendar to pin ravioli-sized pieces of fabric to the designs tucked away in a folder on every runway seat.

During the pandemic, when fashion shows weren’t possible, he sent all the materials on a ring – like a heavily loaded set of keys, just sweet enough to touch.

Both signs speak of the brand’s origins in St. Gallen, Switzerland, a center of textile mills and embroideries since the 18th century, and the legions of soft-spoken creative director Albert Krimmler, who has put exceptional fabrics at the center of his designs. Process for 42 years and counting.

“Fashion is not only visual but also tactile,” says Akris in a new book to mark its 100th anniversary. “When you put this fabric on your skin, you understand.”

The centenary will be celebrated on October 1 with a spring 2023 show, a private dinner and the release of the 162-page tome “Akris – A Century in Fashion Selbstverständlich”. (The last word translates to “of course” in English.)

Later this month, there will be anniversary events with Neiman Marcus in Chicago, Illinois, Bergdorf Goodman in New York and Akris boutique in Washington, DC, reflecting David Chipperfield’s design concept. “A new concept for the next century,” said Krimmler.

Anniversary events will reach a global high with the May 23 opening of the Akris exhibition at the Museum für Gestaltung Zurich, dedicated to industrial design, visual communication, architecture and crafts.

“We want to honor our customers, we want to honor our teams. Our people, our employees are important to us,” added his brother, Peter Krimmler, the fashion house’s CEO for 35 years, adding that the company’s laser focus is on the longevity of luxury women’s ready-to-wear.

In fact, the house’s only brand extension came in 2009 with Comtesse, a renowned German handbag maker beloved by international royalty and revered for its hand-woven horsehair expertise. The first volley was a trapezoidal eye bag.

The executive says footwear will be the next logical category long before menswear, but he’s in no rush. “We believe it’s a little cute,” he said, flashing a smile.

Certainly, the Kriemlers come from a family full of cloth whisperers.

In an interview at the brand’s Paris showroom, Albert Krimmler explained how his grandmother, Alice Krimmler-Schach, the founder of Akris, always uses “the right and best cotton” for her business – the origin of Akris – and her son Max. He had an amazing ability to develop fabrics.

Indeed, as a teenager, Krimmler accompanied his father on trips to textile fairs.

In the year “It was the first playground of creative freedom for our textile,” he said, recalling the time they found 800 grams of double-faced cashmere while in Como, Italy, in 1978. The cloth melted in his hand.

Max Krimmler bought enough to make the coat that Alpha christened, which was the beginning of a “complete cash department” at Akris and the cornerstone of the business, Albert Krimmler explained. Double-faced outerwear.

“When a fabric has pure quality and still looks modern, you never have to change it,” he says, praising the art and “pure craftsmanship” of haute textile suppliers and print designers.

Akris continues to use the twisted cotton poplin Max Krimmler developed in the 70s.

However, the designer is forever on the hunt for new fabrics that will get his creative juices flowing. “I think fashion is amazing. I have learned this in the last 40 years,” he said. “Back in St. Gallen, especially in my studio, I feel completely free to create something new.”

A modelist walks into the room wearing a stylish, unbuttoned navy coat, navy sweater and tights.

Krimmler bounced up from his seat with glee, eager for the visitor to touch the coat’s stunning fabric: a double-faced double-faced cotton denim with a cashmere look and drape but better suited for summer wear.

Next he showed off a green coat in Panama-woven silk organza, which impressed him with its strong arm and elegant drapery.

Then he grabbed a night column in the silk georgette he had been using since he was 19. Caring is like fine sand running through one’s fingers.

“When I find fabric, I always have an idea of ​​what it could be,” he said. “That’s why I can only paint when I have the fabric in my hand.”

For the annual show, Akiris decided to include nine looks in the wardrobe, including the iconic coat from 1978 and a sample of looks by Albert Krimmler in the ’80s and early ’90s.

A fashion shoot featuring those and other vintages became the visual centerpiece of the anniversary book.

Dutch architectural photographer Ewan Baan has been portraying models in the Brutalist architecture of the St. Gallen building since 1963 by architect Walter M. Forder.

“We were very happy with the situation. But you know what: I’ve also discovered how modern my clothes are from the 1980s,” says Krimmler.

To wit: The Spring 2023 collection didn’t just take its cues from archival looks. Acres replicates the nine vintage styles as it maintains detailed records of fabric suppliers. This seems like it was 30 years ago, and today, in Krimmler’s eyes, “it’s really a timeless statement of modernity that we stand for.”

In the year In 1983, when he decided to include the signature Calais lace for the first time in his collection, he went to great lengths to show the supplier Darker in the archive, thus adding new twists to the expression.

According to Severin Mayer, designer of jackets and coats since 1997, “The lines and proportions must be completely natural and perfect.

Although the book was published by the Kriemler brothers, the brand enlisted many contributors to write essays on the artist’s collaboration, embroidery expertise, family history, and famous women who wore Akris.

Former PepsiCo CEO Indira Noy says her Akris double-faced cashmere wrap dress made her one of the Fortune 500 company’s few female leaders to boost her leadership.

“They say clothes make the man. I’ll tell you one thing, clothes make the woman, if they’re the right clothes,” she said. “I no longer felt comfortable being a woman or an immigrant or a person of color.”

Krimmler praised the team’s talent and expertise, and the book spotlights nine of his closest collaborators, including patternmakers, print and knitwear designers.

Knitwear designer Manuela Luty-Schneider is very much like Kriemler in her forward-looking direction.

“For me, the current set is always my favorite. When one set is finished, I look forward to the next one,” he said.