The hottest fashion label in the world moves from Paris to Zurich
As reported by the Sunday newspaper, the French brand Vetements has moved its headquarters and design office to Switzerland. The reasons are not only fiscal, but also creative.
A coup - the city on the Limmat is chasing away the currently hippest fashion label from Paris, writes the Sunday newspaper. Vetements is only three years old, but in that short time it has apparently become an in-label that is stirring up the Paris fashion scene like no other. Fans are lining up for miles to buy the fashion.
Founder Guram Gvasalia, 31, already moved his residence to Switzerland last year, and now his coveted company is following suit. Vetements started operations last week at the former site of liquidated fashion company Bernie's Fashion in Zurich's Binz district. By September, all of the 40 employees from Paris and Düsseldorf will have moved to Zurich.
"Paris is killing creativity"
Gvasalia tells the Sunday newspaper that there are several reasons for the move. French bureaucracy is crippling business - for example, it takes up to nine months to bring a new employee into the country. Cheap space is in short supply, he said, which further hinders growth. Of course, the reasons are also purely financial: In Zurich, Gvasalia pays twice as much in wages, but far less in taxes.
The most important reason, however, is the creative atmosphere in Zurich, which Gvasalia believes falls by the wayside in Paris: "Paris kills creativity. The environment with its bling-bling is destructive. I'm fed up with the bravado of the fashion stars and all the superficial glamour." In contrast, he says, Switzerland is "virgin." And ideally situated to travel the world.
That actually sounds like a single commercial for Zurich as a location. And it should get even better. His goal is to put Zurich on the world map as a fashion city, says Guram Gvasalia. His dream, he says, is that people will associate Switzerland with fashion in the future. (SoZ/hae)
