The hand, the head, the whole body. Yvonne Reichmuth wraps everything in leather. She has been doing this so successfully for seven years with her label YVY that you are guaranteed to spot her harnesses and bracelets as you stroll through Zurich’s streets at . And it’s no longer just for women. Time for our update in the studio.
FACES: A lot has happened since we last interviewed you. At that time, you had just launched your third collection. What has changed since then?
Yvonne Reichmuth: YVY has grown constantly . But the structure has changed . I’m no longer alone and no longer do a lot of manual work myself . Suddenly I’m the manager who decides everything, who leads and organizes.
F: Do you see that as a good or bad development?
YR: I definitely enjoy taking the lead, but I also really enjoy being able to do things myself. It’s a real flashback moment every time.
F: What are you like as a boss?
YR: Very nice. (laughs) I think all my ex-interns would agree with that. I’m not very authoritarian, the hierarchy is pretty flat. I rely on the fact that everyone here is so motivated and enjoys their work that there is no need for pressure. We also motivate each other .
F: How many people work for you?
YR: Three interns work with me in the studio in Zurich. However, we can only cope with the volume of orders because I started working with a partner in Florence last year . He manufactures everything that has to be ready to ship and that we can have in stock. However, everything that is made to measure is made by us. The relationship is almost like ready-to-wear to haute couture.
F: You still receive your customers in your studio, and of course you and YVY are now known beyond the industry. How do you explain yourself and the philosophy of your label to those who don’t know you yet?
YR: When someone asks me what I do, I answer: I wrap everything in leather. This artistic approach is still very important to me, the challenge of regularly designing new pieces that are more sophisticated than bracelets and chokers. My aim is to be known for the most innovative, high-quality and beautiful leather accessories. By accessories I mean everything from clothing to home items.
F: There are so many people who are now imitating you. How do you experience that?
YR: The competition from those who really imitate me on a good level is small. That’s why it doesn’t affect me that much. I am also in favor of the fact that harnesses were not just a short-lived trend . The more widespread the awareness, the greater the acceptance among people. It remains relevant. Gucci just had a piece in the collection that is very similar to one of mine. If you are the only one in the world doing something, then your work has too little relevance. I also think it’s great that more and more men are daring to wear a harness without the fear of being pigeonholed.
F: Unisex and men’s collections are a major topic. Are you jumping on a trend with this?
YR: I’ve wanted to do a collection for men for years, but before that I wanted to establish myself more. In my opinion, it was easier with women, as they are much more willing to experiment. But I was asked about it again and again, men asked me when it would finally be our turn. (laughs) And last year the time had come.
F: It’s not just the way we deal with gender that has changed in fashion, but also the way we deal with leather. There are more and more vegan alternatives. Are these an issue for you?
YR: I think leather is more relevant than ever. It is a sustainable product, a by-product of the meat industry, and
As long as the latter exist, it would be reprehensible to throw the leather away. I can’t say what will happen in five years or ten. It is important to remain agile, but as long as leather is available as a material, I will use it. Leather is a beautiful material and handling it is more sustainable than artificially produced material. What is made of leather is used and used for many years. Leather outlasts.
F: In this respect, you also take a very sustainable approach yourself by not constantly bringing out new collections, but simply supplementing yours with new
pieces.
YR: Exactly, we make adaptations of our pieces or develop them further. We work with a number of pieces that are always available. However, as we produce most of our products to order at , we never struggle with overproduction.
F: This is also an act against fast-moving trend thinking.
YR: People don’t care if they wear a piece from a collection that I designed three years ago. They celebrate it because they like the design. And in my opinion, that’s what makes good design: that it is timeless.
F: Black is also timeless and you celebrate it in your collections as well as in your own style. What’s so great about black?
YR: Everything. (laughs) Black has a magical attraction. It is the most elegant color, has something mystical, timeless, it is genderless and suits everyone. Black can be serious or wicked. No matter what you wrap in black leather, it always looks good. Even if it’s just a packet of cigarettes.
F: Christa de Carouge said: Black leaves room.
YR: Christa had a lot from my collections, almost everything for the hand or the head. She was great and gave me so many nice things along the way. I once told her to write it all down so that I could access it and use it to motivate myself. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it in time.
F: She was also kind of a mentor to you.
YR: Yes, certainly, and she inspired me. For example, the fact that she had been able to be herself in a very strict and consistent manner. She didn’t care at all if it offended others.
F: Is this an approach that you also apply to yourself and YVY? Not looking left or right at all, but simply doing your own thing?
YR: You have to in this industry. It can happen that you get distracted from time to time. I really enjoy listening and love criticism and feedback, but at the end of the day you have to know who you are and what you stand for. You must not allow yourself to be influenced too much. That is exactly what makes a brand, that you stand for something and are therefore authentic.
F: Is there one criticism in particular that has stuck in your mind?
YR: Just recently, a good friend advised me not to listen too much to others and to feel out who I actually am.
F: You have gained a lot of experience since you founded YVY. Is there anything you wish you had known at the beginning?
YR: Probably an incredible amount, and it’s only in retrospect that you realize how little you actually knew at the time. Many experiences simply have to be made . It is also possible that a decision is right this year and wrong the next. I have certainly learned to say no.
F: Looking back is always exciting.
YR: There are so many ways to build your own company. At the time, I had neither a clear business plan nor the capital to get started. I really started out as an artist. I couldn’t work like that today.
F: Why not?
YR: Because YVY has already become too big. It would be a step backwards. In the beginning, for example, I spent a month sewing a dress in my studio – of course you can’t do that anymore if you have to deliver.
F: Could one perhaps even say, somewhat provocatively, that everything is shifting from art to commerce?
YR: You have to strike a balance between the two. Above all, ask yourself what you actually want. Do you want to remain an artist and occasionally exhibit what you create in your studio , or do you want to have a company that sells internationally? I want YVY to grow.
F: You are actually everything, entrepreneur, designer, craftswoman.
YR: I recently read Giorgio Armani’s quote: “80 percent is discipline, 20 percent is creativity.” And that’s exactly right.
F: Isn’t that a bit sad too?
YR: It’s sad for someone who just wants to be an artist. But I also enjoy devising strategies and making decisions . I also like to create a Excel list from time to time . (laughs)
F: This keeps everyday life varied.
YR: You have to remember that YVY is my job and not my hobby. It would also be illusory to believe that the job is only fun all the time. That’s the downside of turning your hobby into a career – you sometimes do things that aren’t just absolute fulfillment. But they are just as much a part of it.
F: That sounds like a lot of unexcited, almost completely normal work. Is the fashion industry not as dazzling as you might think?
YR: It’s work, but we also have fun. (laughs)I never wanted to work in the fashion industry or sit on the front row because I thought it was so glamorous. Creation and design have always fascinated me, but the supposed glamor made me rather uncomfortable. Event invitations or putting my face forward for something always made me rather uncomfortable .
F: And yet you organize a lot of events yourself. Last year’s Gallery Takeover, fashion shows in Paris, your open showroom…
YR: As long as it stays within reason, I like it. There are very nice moments when I can receive people here in the studio from time to time, which motivates and inspires me. Having my own business, on the other hand, would be too much for me. It’s my greatest privilege ever that I only deal with people every day, who think what I do is great. In what other job do you have that? Everyone who visits me here comes to me with good feelings and brings good vibes with them. That’s really nice.
F: Do you also discover your pieces on the street?
YR: I love it when that happens. Someone recently opened the door for me in a restaurant and proudly showed me his bracelet, which I thought was super cute.
F: You talk a lot about moments. Which one changed everything?
YR: Many people pin my success on the fact that Kylie Jenner was photographed wearing one of my pieces about five years ago. In the meantime, however, I have become somewhat accustomed to celebrities wearing my pieces. It’s actually also the events that keep pushing me. During the Gallery Takeover last year, I felt completely high for a weekend. (laughs)
F: The Kylie photo spread like wildfire on social media. Would you even be where you are today with YVY if it weren’t for social media?
YR: It would be different without social media. The range would certainly not be as great. It’s a good tool to show people who you are, what you do and what you stand for without a big budget. In the Insta-Story, for example, you can look over our shoulders at – you don’t just order an item online and a few days later it’s in your letterbox. No, thanks to social media you can even be part of the creation process.
F: Consumers are buying more and more online, fast fashion is still a huge topic, and people are still flying around for fashion weeks as if there were no climate change. Do such developments scare you?
YR: I give it a lot of thought. Sometimes you can’t think about it too much because it just frustrates you. Fast fashion is so powerful, and we all get weak from time to time. It’s great that there’s a counter-movement, and we’re doing our bit, but we won’t kill the other one off. I don’t want to waste my energy getting worked up about something like this. I better concentrate on what I can offer in return for fast fashion .
F: Do you also make sure to buy sustainably in your private life?
YR: I try, but I would never say I’m perfect. Ninety percent of my wardrobe is black and white. This prevents the need to buy something new every week. I have also owned many clothes for a very, very long time. Black pants, a white blouse, and then I pimp it with my accessories. I try to buy from independent labels, even if access is sometimes very difficult. The good thing about globalization and social media is that I can follow a small brand via Instagram and also order there.
F: Are there people you stalk on Instagram?
YR: I don’t consume that much on Instagram. The New Yorker cartoons I love, but I really don’t follow many. That would be too much of a flood of things trying to influence me . I don’t want to compare myself with others, which is why I don’t look at outfit posts on social media, for example.
F: Dealing with social media is perhaps also a generational issue. Are you glad you didn’t grow up with Instagram and the like?
YR: There are good and bad sides to everything. But comparing is always a guarantee of unhappiness. In the past, we might have done this via magazines and journals, although the abundance via social media is of course much greater today. The illusion of the perfect life is constantly spraying at you via Instagram,
and it is clear that no one is doing so well and no one looks as good as they present themselves there. If you are aware of this, then you deal with it well. If doesn’t, then you’re ruining yourself.
F: Social media only shows the surface, and fashion also shares this prejudice. What do you say to people who describe fashion as superficial?
YR: Fashion is superficial, especially for those who have nothing to do with it. For me, who moves around in it every day , fashion is not superficial at all. I am much deeper, and sometimes it would even be better for me to take a step back and look at YVY from above. Below is all about solving problems and making decisions.
F: Prejudices are omnipresent, and you and YVY have often been pigeonholed , especially in the past.
YR: That used to bother me a lot, but not any more. Anyone who is not out of fashion is quickly provoked by my designs. But I like to take it with humor and do my own kind of educational work. (laughs) Sometimes I have to show people how else my pieces could be worn – over a turtleneck sweater, for example, or a long skirt. I also don’t think it’s bad when people associate my designs with sex, that’s actually something nice.
F: What do you do if you need a push on any given day?
YR: My team helps me enormously with my work, they motivate me time and time again. And in the evening, it’s friends – and wine. (laughs) And Massages!
F: Zurich is your home and people know you here. How would you describe your city to someone who is not from here?
YR: Zurich is a good middle ground. Not too much, but not too little either. Zurich is a bit of a city, but not a big city, has a lot to offer culturally and an enormous quality of life, but it’s not in the country either. A good starting point for everything.
F: Where do you come to rest?
YR: I love water, it has such a healing, calming, energizing effect. As soon as I’m in the water, all is right with the world. I love jumping into the lake or river in the morning in summer to start the day.
F: Where do you move around in Zurich?
YR: I love the neighborhood here, where my studio is, right next door.
next to Josefstrasse. I travel a lot in circles three, four and five, and to be honest, you’ve always met me in the same bar for years. (laughs)
F: Do you have any more such constants or rituals in your life?
YR: I do my exercises every morning and like to be the first to arrive at the studio. Then I have time to get fit, have a coffee at and read before everyone else arrives at . I also like to go for walks, sometimes just without a plan. It’s good for the head.
F: Do you listen to music when you do that?
YR: I used to listen to music all the time, but the older I get, the more I appreciate the peace and quiet. When I go for a walk by the river in the evening, for example, I do it without sound. Sometimes the head is too stimulated and needs to calm down. Walking helps me to sort out my thoughts.
F: Slowing down, not always having to go full throttle everywhere – are these achievements that come with growing up?
YR: I still have the drive to get better at . I am not so easy to please. However, I certainly take things a bit more relaxed. Compared to before, I also take more time off – I used to go months without taking a break, but I don’t do that anymore. Today a weekend is also simply a weekend. It’s difficult to have a proper work-life balance when you’re self-employed. I had to learn to call it a day in the evening if I didn’t get everything done that I had planned for the day.
F: What’s on your bedside table?
YR: Lavender spray, hand cream and a book. However, I don’t actually read enough, even though I keep meaning to.
F: What thoughts are robbing you of sleep?
YR: None at all. I sleep like a baby every night. (laughs)
All YVY collections can be purchased online at www.yvy.ch.
