5 things to love about Akris

Akris has come a long way since it was founded in 1922 by Alice Kriemler-Schoch, who sewed polka-dot aprons from the world-famous fabrics being produced in her hometown of St. Gallen. Fast-forward 100 years later and her grandsons are now at the helm: Albert Kriemler is Creative Director and Peter Kriemler is CEO. Now the go-to label for alpha females who need clothes that are as clever and hardworking as they are, each super-luxe piece is still designed and produced in Switzerland – and features a polka-dot lining in homage to Alice.

It’d be an understatement to say Creative Director Albert Kriemler is obsessed with fabric. He’s known for taking materials on his travels to see how they react to different light and settings before deciding on whether they’re worthy to be included in his latest collection. This preoccupation is fitting, given that St. Gallen has been famous for its fabrics since the 16th century, and virtually every luxury label continues to flock to the town’s remaining mills.

Albert Kriemler is all about working women – successful ones. He credits Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani and Jil Sander for being among the first to design for women in executive roles and admits that he has never shown a collection that didn’t feature a suit. In fact, Kriemler prides himself on creating pieces that can solve sartorial dilemmas seven days a week, from sun-up until sundown.

Kriemler cites his modern-art collection as a wellspring of inspiration. Previous influences have included everyone from abstract painter Carmen Herrera to the pioneering architecture of Sou Fujimoto. For FW18, his focus was Vienna at the turn of the 20th century, inspired by the advancements women were making at the time, as well as a cultural milieu that included seminal art figures Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt. In other words, these designs are as erudite as the women who wear them.