Switzerland Joins the Fashion Week Calendar With Zurich

Just over a year ago, the Zurich Fashion Week Association organized its “Next Stop ZFW” evening, and this Wednesday, Zurich joins the exclusive circle of Fashion Week host cities, alongside Paris, London, Milan, and New York. From February 11 to 15, for the first time, Switzerland will experience fashion at home, with shows by 25 designers, including the Modeco brand, which will open the event this evening.

The project was initiated by Tamy Glauser, a non-binary model from Bern and artistic director of the project, Remo Schmid, an entrepreneur from Zurich, and Donald Schneider, director of his advertising studio and former art director for Vogue Paris. Their goal is to offer young Swiss fashion talents the opportunity to fulfill their potential in their home country and create a supportive economy among themselves. "I just really never understood why Switzerland doesn't want to offer that much diversity. Because I feel like there's so many resources, so much talent. But yet, if you want to be in fashion, you really have to leave the country. If you want to make a career, you have to go to Paris or Milan," said Tamy Glauser in an interview with Luxury Tribune shortly before the launch. In fact, 48 hours before the start, only a few individual tickets for the shows were still available: the 4-day pass, fashion workshops, and after-parties were sold out. Standard four-day access cost CHF 630.95, while the premium version cost CHF 999.85. However, the association remains a non-profit organization and relies solely on its private sponsors to finance the event. Among the main sponsors are Kongresshaus Zürich, the venue for the event, Landquart Fashion Outlet, and Optic 2000.

Although Switzerland has often been chosen as the host country for fashion shows by major fashion houses, hosting a Fashion Week is a first. There is, of course, Mode Suisse, which showcases Swiss fashion every year, but nothing that can take on an international scale like Paris Fashion Week, despite the reputation of the HEAD (Haute école d'art et de design) in Geneva. “We don’t really have a fashion industry in Switzerland,” explains Tamy Glauser. Is it a lack of initiative or a funding challenge? They continue: “Switzerland is not recognizing fashion as art. Therefore it cannot be funded from the cultural department.”

In the press, the Swiss media are unanimous: Zurich has the potential to establish itself as one of the major fashion capitals, even if there is still a long way to go. First, Switzerland lacks an official body such as the Camera Nazionale della Moda in Milan or the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode in Paris. This, combined with the lack of dedicated schools and the very high cost of living in Switzerland, probably discourages young people from pursuing this path.

The challenge, even though Zurich is already recognized as a culturally rich city, will be to attract international visitors. For now, the goal is not to compete with Paris or Milan, but rather to stimulate the competitiveness of Swiss designers and encourage them to stay in their home country. One thing is certain: Tamy Glauser has no intention of stopping there and is already planning a second edition in 2027.