Akris

Last updated
Akris
Type Private
Industry Fashion
Founded1922;101 years ago (1922) in St. Gallen, Switzerland
FounderAlice Kriemler-Schoch
Headquarters
St. Gallen
,
Switzerland
Number of locations
Over 500 points of sale worldwide including freestanding boutiques
Key people
 Albert Kriemler, creative director; Peter Kriemler, CEO
Products Luxury goods
Number of employees
650+
Website www.akris.ch

Akris (stylized A-K-R-I-S) is a Swiss luxury fashion house specializing in haute couture and ready-to-wear for women. Founded in 1922, it is currently owned and led in the third generation of the Kriemler family with Albert Kriemler serving as its creative director.

Contents

History

Akris was founded in 1922 by Alice Kriemler -Schoch in St. Gallen, Switzerland. The word "Akris" is derived from the letters of Kriemler - Schoch's name. [1] [2] The company initially made simple dotted aprons that Kriemler-Schoch crafted on a single sewing machine. [1] [3] [4] Each piece is still designed in Switzerland and the company still uses the Swiss dot (polka dot) on gift boxes and tissue paper, as well as the Akris Punto logo.

In 1944, Kriemler-Schoch's son Max Kriemler took over the business. [1] [3] The company grew significantly and began producing ready-to-wear clothing. [5] [6] Following the lead of Max Kriemler, Akris also produced clothes for French designers Givenchy and Ted Lapidus. [5]

However, in 1980, Max Kriemler's right-hand man[ who? ] died. Though Max's son Albert Kriemler had planned to travel to Paris to study fashion and apprentice at Givenchy, Max asked Albert to postpone his education for two years to assist in the company's transition. [4] [6] [7] He agreed. [6] Albert could never complete his fashion education; within those two years, he had already begun to take over the company. [6]

In 1987, Peter's expertise in law and economy made him a valuable addition to Akris, where he took charge of the company's financial operations alongside his brother Albert. [4] Peter is now Akris's global CEO, handling management and manufacturing. [1] [5] Peter Kriemler is credited with bringing the Akris collection to Asia with subsidiaries in Japan and Korea, as well as developing the worldwide network of directly operated stores. [4]

Since 2004, the Akris collection has been shown during Paris fashion week - the only Swiss house in the Fédération française de la couture, du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers, et des Créateurs de Mode. [8]

Timeline

Collections

Akris is a collection of sleek, refined, and versatile pieces, designed in clear architectural lines, with exceptional fabrics, body conscious tailoring and sophisticated colors. Albert Kriemler has gained a strong following by creating a fashion collection for career-oriented women around the world. [19] Artists and architects have inspired his designs or have collaborated directly with him. [20]

In 1996, Akris introduced a new line called Akris Punto. [3] The Akris Punto collection has an emphasis on "relaxed sportswear". In 2009, Akris expanded its Prêt-a-Porter offering with the introduction of handbags featuring animal-friendly horsehair textile, a woven fabric made from the tail-hair.

In 1996, Akris was admitted to the French Chambre Syndicale, the governing body of the French fashion industry. [5] The company delayed participating in Paris Fashion Week until 2004, when it was able to secure a spot on one of the event's most important days. [4] [5] In the 2000s, the company was one of the world's fastest-growing designer brands, [3] [6] selling at stores such as Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, [4] where Akris shares floor space with brands like Bottega Veneta, Fendi and Lanvin. [20] Akris's success is largely due to trunk shows and word of mouth; [4] the company does very little advertising. [5] Unlike other fashion houses, the company does not produce fragrances and does not license its name. [4] [5] Akris have a reputation for working with artists. Two notable examples have been a collaboration with the German photographer Thomas Ruff and separately with the British painter David Wightman. [21] [22]

Sales and stores

Akris is the largest Swiss clothing producer, though it does not disclose sales or profit figures. [4] [5] Its value has been reported as approximately US$500 million; the company has not disputed this figure, [4] but the number may be an overestimate "judging from [Albert] Kriemler's response when that number is tossed out. [5] The brand is sold in more than 300 locations worldwide. [20]

Approximately 40% of Akris sales are in North America. [23] Akris was first sold in the United States in 1988; [23] the brand can now be found in 70 U.S. stores, including over 20 Neiman Marcus locations and 30-some Saks Fifth Avenue locations, [5] where Akris shares floor space with brands like Bottega Veneta, Fendi and Lanvin. [20] Freestanding Akris boutiques are located in Boston, New York City, Atlanta, Palm Beach, Bal Harbor, Dallas and Houston. [5] Akris Punto is sold in approximately 100 stores in the United States. [5]

Celebrities

Several female celebrities are known to have worn Akris designs, including Amal Clooney, HSH Charlene, Princess of Monaco, Tina Fey, Susan Sarandon, Doris Yaffe, Shakira, Alicia Keys, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman [24] Diane Sawyer and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. [25] [26] [19]

Garment production

The company's headquarters is located in St. Gallen, Switzerland with 200 employees. [5] The design process begins with the fabric; Kriemler then sketches his designs. [2] [7] Akris fabrics are often custom-produced; sometimes, development of a fabric may take years. [7] [ clarification needed ] Most of the fabrics used in Akris clothing are produced in specialized mills in northern Italy. [5]

Akris clothing is generally produced in ateliers in St. Gallen, Zurich, and Ticino, Switzerland. [5] [7] Kriemler has aimed to continue St. Gallen's textile-based history by hiring local artisans. [2] About half of the company's manufacturing employees (around 280 employees) are highly skilled artisans; [5] two years of training is required for a seamstress to master the hand-finishing of Akris's double-faced cashmere jackets, each of which requires two and a half days to complete. [4] [5]

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References

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  3. 1 2 3 4 Socha, Miles. "A Swiss account". W (October 1, 2003).
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Givhan, Robin. "Luxury, Pure Style, Understated Eloquence: Akris's Creations For Women of Power". The Washington Post (May 31, 2005).
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  7. 1 2 3 4 Gillan Griffin, Linda. "Designer creates clothing with Swiss precision". The Houston Chronicle .
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  10. ↑ "Albert Kriemler Fashion Group International Awards". Elle Magazine. Archived from the original on 2011-10-02.
  11. ↑ "River Oaks District Shops". Archived from the original on 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  12. ↑ Biz Journals
  13. ↑ A Meeting of Minds, TANK Magazine, June 2016
  14. ↑ Martin, J.J., Best Alliance (February 2016 issue of Wallpaper)
  15. ↑ Iredale, Jessica, Akris’ Albert Kriemler to Be Honored by Couture Council, April 5, 2016, Women's Wear Daily
  16. ↑ Stefan Grund, Es gibt sie noch, die gewonnenen Finale (July 4, 2016), Die Welt
  17. ↑ "VIDEO: How Carmen Herrera Inspired the New Line for AKRIS | artnet News". artnet News. 2017-02-09. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  18. ↑ Phelps, Nicole. "Akris Fall 2017 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show". Vogue. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  19. 1 2 Tuma, Thomas (October 6, 2015). Dressing for Success, Handelsblatt Archived 2016-08-18 at the Wayback Machine
  20. 1 2 3 4 Martin, J.J. Albert Kriemler Expands Akris's Global Footprint (November 19, 2015)
  21. ↑ Holt, Emily. "Akris / Fall 2014 RTW". vogue.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
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  25. ↑ Hume, Marion (September 11, 2006). "Stealth Style". Time. Archived from the original on July 12, 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  26. ↑ Ellison, Jo, The alpha woman's label, Financial Times, (May 7, 2016)
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