150 years of impact
Be courageous. Change. Shape. Move. Surprise. Learn. Inspire. These characteristics have always characterised our industry. In 2024, we will be celebrating our 150th anniversary as an industry association for textile and clothing companies. Together with our members, we are dedicated to the future. Because what we do today will shape us tomorrow.
With a series of activities, we show below how we want to inspire, enthuse, bring together, discuss, celebrate and break new ground.
Celebration
On the afternoon of June 7, 2024, our Annual General Meeting and the party took place in the Riithalle in Zurich. For our members and guests. We share with you some of the most beautiful impressions.
Swiss Textiles celebrated on 7 June 2024 at the Riithalle in Zurich.
Please click here for the review.
White longe tables awaited our guests on the terrace.
After the general assembly, Swiss Textiles invited its guest to celebrate.
Swiss Textiles captures voices in its big anniversary year: With a twinkle in our eye, we ask passers-by on the street what they understand by textiles.
We have asked personalities from politics, business and design to send us their greetings on the occasion of our 150th anniversary. What do they wish for the future of the textile and clothing industry?
3 greetings from Swiss designers
To mark our anniversary, together with President Carl Illi, we are dispelling old prejudices about the textile industry and revealing why 2024 will be a springboard into a new chapter!!!
What awaits you in our anniversary year
Meet
We bring politics and business together and take a look behind the scenes of our members' everyday life as SMEs. What challenges are they mastering in an increasingly fast-changing international environment? How do they break new ground creatively and imaginatively and thus make their contribution to a sustainable, successful textile industry?
Past visits:
- 2 October: Bcomp Ltd., Fribourg (FR)
- 21 August: Mammut Sportswear AG, Seon (AG)
- 6 November: HeiQ Materials AG, Schlieren (ZH)
- 13 November: OceanSafe AG, Bern (BE)
Mammut Sports in Seon, Aargau, kicked things off with a tour exclusively for the five local politicians. A look at the test centre, the showroom and a sneak peek at new collections and projects. A welcome change of scenery - from the council chamber straight to the tour, so to speak. ‘I think it's totally cool,’ said National Councillor Maja Riniker from the FDP Aargau afterwards.
Networking
We introduce our members to each other and to interesting personalities from other sectors. Therefore we're launching a new event series called "Brennpunkt". We talk about it" to discuss most relevant topics.
We started on 28 March with the topic "Deindustrialization" (article only available in German). We asked expert Dr. Jens Kaiser from the University of St. Gallen how Switzerland is doing as a workplace and what is going on in the textile manufacturing industry. Monika Schärer moderated the event.
The second "Brennpunkt" took us to Member Freitag on 23 September. During an exclusive tour of the headquarters in Zurich-Oerlikon, the guests were able to observe how lorry sheets are processed into Swiss cult accessories.
This was followed by a panel discussion with Bigna Salzmann from Freitag, Bernd Schäfer from Bäumlin & Ernst, Hermann Lion from Jacob Rohner and Peter Flückiger, CEO of Swiss Textiles, on the topic of value creation in Switzerland.
Did you miss the focal point? We have summarised the most important points here: «Wir sind Branchenpioniere»
Inspire
When we reflect on the future, we now have to consider the potential impacts of artificial intelligence. Will it take away our jobs? Will it inspire us? With a wink of the eye, the motivational sayings on these postcards were selected together with Sebastian Wyss, a graphic artist from Bern. His algorithm is based on numerous quotations obtained from the Internet – sampled and subsequently combined to create
entirely new ones. These are intended to provide inspiration and to encourage you to reflect on, and shape, the future together with us. Here you can order the postcards.
Idea – www.p-inc.ch
Realisation – www.wyssseb.ch
More information
Mirjam Matti Gähwiler
Member of the management board, Administration, Communication, Design, People and Culture
T: +41 44 289 79 42
mirjam.matti@swisstextiles.ch