She wants to revolutionize women’s sport with her sports bras

The Hollywood film “Barbie” made its debut in German-speaking Switzerland just two months ago. The first wave of enthusiasm or criticism – depending on the side you take – has ebbed away by now. But the subject could not be more topical. It is a societal “Women’s quota”, “Gender gap,” “Role models” – those terms came to the fore again in recent years. Both in families and in the economy. How do things stand on the startup scene?

Twice as many men as women became self-employed in 2020

According to an empirical study by the University of Applied Sciences of North West Switzerland and the Future Preneurship Verlag in 2020, for every one startup founded by a woman, 1.77 startups are set up by men. The “gender gap” is particularly wide in Switzerland. More than twice as many men as women have become self-employed.

One of these startups founded by a woman is called “Swijin” (pronounced “Suidschin”) and based in St. Gallen. This niche supplier sells special performance wear and cycling shorts suited to both swimming and running. Seamless, fit for everyday use and made of a material that promises to dry in a matter of minutes. Designed for women who swim and run. They take part in what is still a recent endurance sport and involves both swimming and jogging. They keep their performance wear on when they transfer from water to dry land and vice versa.

Swijin, whose Japanese name is derived from the Shinto goddess of clean water “Suijin”, is run by Claudia Glass. This daughter of a German father and an American mother studied literature and democracy education in Washington DC and Berlin. She now lives in Horgen with her husband, her daughter Lilli, her son Adrian – both teenagers – and their Swiss Appenzell mountain dog, Carlo.

“My family life keeps me on the go”, she says with a smile. “My life as a company founder does not leave me a minute’s rest. You have to get stuck in or it won’t work.” Sometimes she wonders how other people manage, as she frankly admits. To that extent her products are a kind of metaphor for her startup. “In my discipline as in sport you need endurance. You are constantly running up against your limits.”

Before founding her company, she taught English for a long time at the Zurich International School in Adliswil in the Canton of Zurich; this is an English-speaking private school. From time to time she also worked in international companies. But she could never let go of teaching. She went back to the classroom. “Although the school head often told me that he thought I had leadership qualities I never wanted to become a typical boss. Hierarchies are not really my thing,” Glass comments with a slight American accent. She prefers to see herself in the background role of mentor; that was already the case when she taught.

Two years ago, she finally swapped her school textbooks for a business plan and moved into the world of technical textiles. Throughout her career, she was fascinated by the idea of founding a business.

When she was still a girl Claudia Glass chose “Taking on tasks and completing them step by step” as the subject of a project. “I really enjoyed that”, she says. Today she is thriving. She sees her startup as just another project. “That drives me on.” Claudia Glass is alert, talks with her hands, often changes her seating posture and laughs all the time. She tends to shift into American as she talks.

Sports bras as Mount Everest

With sports bras she has chosen the “Mount Everest” of the garments sector, as she puts it. “Designing a really good product is incredibly complex and time-consuming.” So many demands must be met: strong support, good fit and comfort to prevent pressure or friction, quick-drying, breathable – the list goes on and on. “If a bra gives firm support it is not necessarily comfortable and may not look fit for everyday use or stylish”, she says. That was also the idea behind her design. She wanted a garment that combined all the benefits – squaring the circle, as she once said in an interview. She was helped by textile specialist, Sahar Ebrahimi and head designer, Valeria Cereda. The former champion swimmer is based in Milan and contributes her experience in the luxury industry.

Glass hit upon the idea while she was on holiday in Mallorca when she wanted to swim in the sea after jogging but had no suitable swimwear. In 2020 she put her idea into practice during an Innosuisse project with EMPA (the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science) where she worked with the Department for Biometric Membranes and Textiles. Today, the team still consists of triathletes, professional swimrunners, engineers, physiologists, designers and textile manufacturers. The products are admittedly focussed on high performance sportswomen, but can in fact be worn by anyone.

When asked about the predominance of men on the Swiss startup scene, Glass says: “I know that women are still lagging behind and that is a problem.” However, she has never yet felt at a disadvantage against men: “On the contrary, they have supported me. Textile entrepreneur, Peter Eschler, is one of my principal mentors when it comes to technical textiles”, she says and gives the matter a moment’s thought. Perhaps this is something to do with the culture in Switzerland – the culture of conversation. When she talks to men they let her have her say. “Things are quite different in the USA. My experience there was not the same,” she says. Ambiguous remarks were part of it – even if she had still been a young colleague when she had that experience.

Claudia Glass does not see her startup as feminist. Even if you might gain that impression at first sight when you consult her website: “Swijin encourages all women to activate their superpower” is just one example. But she does not want to be forced into that corner. Her idea behind the clear focus on women was strictly strategic and practical. “As a woman I happen to know just what women need in sport. What they are missing and what bothers them.” From woman to woman, so to speak.

That is another reason why her sports bra team use a test dummy with a female body structure. This includes silicone pads of different sizes to replicate the female breast. “My experience has shown that most dummies are focussed on men. That was not at all practical in my case. I also know that male footballers are familiar with the unpleasant sensation of garments that rub against their skin. For instance if they have very sensitive nipples.” That being so, her products may one day also be sold to men.

“Don’t let yourself be intimidated”

What would she recommend to other women in a similar situation? “What I advise everyone, woman or man, is this. First: make contacts and do not fight shy of direct discussion! You will be surprised to find how generous and helpful people are. Secondly: never let yourself be intimidated.” Catarina Dahlin is another source of inspiration for Glass. She is co-founder of the nightwear maker Dagsmejan. She reached the final of the international “Founder of the Year Medium Size Companies” competition at the end of June. “I appreciate Catarina so much because she has always stayed close to her business despite her success.” She also had this to say: “The time when a company is being founded is not a marathon but a lifestyle.” Glass still stands by that idea.

From Mount Everest to Rolls Royce

The niche supplier is currently working on a new project: a sports bra designed solely for running – “the Rolls Royce of bras,” as Glass puts it: “The exceptional thing is not just that we cooperated once again with a female textile engineer at EMPA, but also that we will be offering the product in cup size D and larger.” High quality products in big sizes are still hard to find nowadays.

Has Glass seen the “Barbie” film? “Yes, twice in fact! Once with my children and once with my parents!”, she answers laughing. After a while she adds: “I think the film is a brilliant performance!”