DESIGN AND LIFESTYLE

SPECIAL THEME: DESIGN AND LIFESTYLE – MADE IN SWITZERLAND Design trends of 2023

For some more lifestyle and design inspiration for the new year, read the following special theme and meet some inspiring Swiss companies and their products.

TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: UNSPLASH

AN HOMAGE TO SWISS TRADITION HOMMAGE AN DIE SCHWEIZER TRADITION

The Swiss label Gexist merges Swiss design with a true passion for quality jewellery and beautiful gemstones. Time and again, owner Daniel Gex has successfully collaborated with established artists whose silhouette cuttings are beautifully incorporated in his Swiss Edelweiss by Gexist collection. Beim Schweizer Label Gexist trifft Swiss Design auf echte Leidenschaft für Schmuck und Edelsteine. Inhaber Daniel Gex setzt dabei immer wieder auf fantastische Kollaborationen mit etablierten Künstlern, deren Scherenschnitte in der Swiss Edelweiss by Gexist gekonnt in Szene gesetzt werden.

The Jewellery label Gexist perfectly manages to capture the Swiss identity in its jewellery. In 2000, the very first collection used gemstones that were unaltered, keeping their individual shapes. Hence, these unique pieces only existed once – a fact that coined the company’s name ‘Gexist’ (based on a pun of the French ‘j’existe’ and Daniel ‘Gex’).

Today, there are various collections; among them, the stunning folklore collection ‘Swiss Edelweiss by Gexist’. In cuts, artists portray the Swiss DNA, featuring nature, tradition and folklore: values that take centre stage at Gexist. That’s why the collection is not only popular among tourists, but also favoured by the Swiss as they identify with them.

Sustainability also plays a major part at Gexist. The packaging, designed as a typical Swiss cheese box, can be used in multiple ways, and from 2023 the company will also donate one per cent of profits from the Swiss Edelweiss by Gexist collection to sustainable projects that support Swiss nature and folklore. Dem Schmuck-Label Gexist gelingt es die typische Schweizer Identität wunderbar in seinen Schmuckstücken zu repräsentieren. Bei der ersten Kollektion, die im Jahr 2000 den Grundstein legte, wurden Edelsteine verwendet, ohne deren individuelle Formen zu verändern. Diese einzigartigen Schmuckstücke existierten also nur einmal woraus der Firmenname ‚Gexist‘ (basierend auf dem Wortspiel des französischen ‚j’existe‘ und Daniel ‚Gex‘) entstand.

Heute gibt es verschiedene Kollektionen, darunter die eindrucksvolle Folklore-Kollektion ‚Swiss Edelweiss by Gexist‘. In Scherenschnitten fangen Künstler die Schweizer DNA bestehend aus Natur, Tradition und Folklore ein – Werte, die bei Gexist im Mittelpunkt stehen. Die Kollektion richtet sich daher auch nicht nur an Touristen, sondern auch an Schweizer selbst, die sich darin wiederfinden.

Nachhaltigkeit spielt ebenso eine große Rolle bei Gexist. Dies zeigt sich nicht nur in den Verpackungen, die im typischen KäseschachtelDesign vielseitige Verwendung finden. Ab 2023 wird auch ein Prozent vom Swiss Edelweiss by Gexist Umsatz in nachhaltige Projekte gespendet, die Schweizer Natur oder Folklore unterstützen.

A SKI MADE OF MARBLE

How the noble mountain stone becomes a ski and how the ski finds its way back to the mountain…

TEXT: SILKE HENKELE I PHOTOS: ZAI AG

Marble and its transformation: The stone, as it can be quarried today, was formed over millions of years by pressure and heat during the geological folding of the Alps. The porosity gives the rock the desirable properties that make it durable and malleable. More than 15 years ago, the ski manufacturer zai tamed the gneiss rock at the core of the zai spada. In 2019, the first ski made of slate appeared. And this year, zai presents the latest model made of marble.

The primal material of the mountain lends itself well to quality design and craftsmanship. Like all zai models, the new zai marble is the result of state-of-the-art sandwich technology with materials made of ash, poplar wood, steel, carbon and titanal. As a new development to be proud of, the zai marble is the only ski with a top belt made entirely of marble.

UNIQUE SKI AND UNIQUE FEELING

Ski enthusiasts love the element of damping. The resulting reduction in vibration leads to an experience of absolute connection with the snow – even at high speed. The ski impresses with incomparable smoothness and grip, and convinces via its tried and tested racing ski base. It’s not just the unique feel and meticulous manufacturing that makes the zai marble a one-of-a-kind – the surface is individual to each ski.

Inspiration and material begin on the mountain; to the mountain, we return. Or as zai’s Benedikt Germanier puts it: “We find our fulfillment in developing skis that encourage people to find their line on the mountain, realise themselves in their movement, experience joy and be one with the slope. We never stop thinking about how new knowledge can be implemented even better, and we do this without sparing neither materials nor effort.”

www.zai.ch

At the top of the ski world is zai. Innovation, design and craftsmanship are rooted firmly at the core of the brand. The love of skis and the search for their own line on the mountain unite zai enthusiasts worldwide. With zai, they transcend boundaries, skiing more easily, joyfully and thoroughly.

zai – the world‘s finest ski manufacturer