Swiss designers eye Chinese market with their unique style

A model shows a creation by both Swiss and Chinese designers during InnoFashion 2017 in Beijing.

When it comes to innovation, Switzerland has topped the Global Innovation Index and the World Competitiveness Report by the World Economic Report for years.

Among the country's achievements is that the Swiss textile industry developed a revolutionary biomedical fabric, says Jean-Philippe Jutzi, head of culture and media affairs at the Swiss embassy.

Yannick Aellen, director of Mode Suisse, an industry platform promoting collaboration among fashion designers, schools and the textile industry, says that although the Chinese market is not so huge for Swiss designers at the moment, it has potential.

Aellen, who was responsible for picking the Swiss designers for the show, says that Akris, the Swiss womenswear brand, has already opened a store in Shanghai and is looking to expand.

With regard to Chinese tourists in Switzerland, he says: "Many come over and of course they are interested in watches and luxury brands. But they are now also looking for items like Freitag bags. We also work with the tourism authorities to make sure that Swiss fashion is on their radar," he says.

Yvonne Reichmuth, founder of YVY, a womenswear brand, uses Italian leather to make accessories and dresses, which have been worn by the likes of Monica Bellucci, Kylie Jenner and Gwen Stefani.

She says that she was always interested in China, but it was difficult to establish connections on her own.