Akris | Switzerland's Century-Old St. Gallen Brand, From Apron Maker to High-End Professional Women's Wear
Akris is another treasure brand I discovered while shopping at Lane Crawford. Although there are currently no physical stores in mainland China, Akris entered the Chinese market as early as 2015, with relevant reports at the time.
Akris's design style is elegant and intellectual, catering to diverse images of professional women. Through innovative designs, it injects vitality into mundane work settings and is highly favored by elite women in global business, politics, creativity, and fashion. Its clientele often represents excellence in various fields, such as female brand founders, astronauts, and other career elites. From Silicon Valley giants like Sheryl Sandberg and Marissa Mayer to Amal Clooney and Angelina Jolie, even Monaco's Princess Caroline and Charlene have been captivated by Akris.
I fell in love with the brand after trying on a few of its cashmere jackets and sweaters. While the texture of its cashmere is rougher compared to Barrie and Brunello Cucinelli, its sense of design is impeccable. Previously, the high-end brands that impressed me with their designs were Sa Su Phi and Khaite. Like Akris, they are modern elite fashion brands known for their exceptional tailoring in premium fabrics.
If you like Gabriela Hearst's suits or are looking for a high-end alternative to Theory, you can try Akris. Moreover, Akris offers parkas made from premium silk fabrics, meeting the demand for both texture and practicality.
Akris's colors and embroidery are also highly recognizable. Unlike Barrie's retro embroidery and colors, Akris leans towards modern aesthetics. The current creative director, Albert Kriemler, the third generation of the family, infuses the brand with a clean, sharply defined aesthetic through his love of architecture and contemporary abstract art, making its designs modern and sophisticated.
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Akris was founded in 1922 by the current designer Albert Kriemler's grandmother, Alice Kriemler-Schoch, in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Initially, the brand produced polka-dot aprons.
St. Gallen has been renowned for its textiles since the 16th century, originating with monks sewing linen. In the 19th century, St. Gallen rose as a textile capital and became famous for its innovative, luxurious, and intricate embroidery. By around 1910, St. Gallen accounted for 15% of global embroidery production. Akris's garments are entirely produced in Switzerland's St. Gallen, Zurich, and Ticino, ensuring provenance and quality.
In 1944, Alice Kriemler-Schoch's son, Max Kriemler, joined the family business and named it Akris.
Max Kriemler transitioned the product range from aprons to coats and tailored suits. He collaborated with Parisian designers like Ted Lapidus and Givenchy and introduced Italian double-face craftsmanship.
"Double-face" is a high-end garment-making technique where both sides of the fabric can serve as the visible surface. Commonly used in coats, jackets, and even cashmere sweaters, double-face fabrics often combine two different colors or materials, allowing for versatile styling. Due to the complex production process requiring precise technical support, double-face fabrics are considered luxurious.
Today’s double-face cashmere coats are a prime example. Generally, double-face items are more expensive and high-end compared to lined garments. Based on my experience, browsing brands like Erdos, their cashmere coats costing around 20,000 to 30,000 yuan often still have linings. High-quality linings might use cupro or silk, while lower-quality ones are polyester. For example, Sentaler, which I wrote about earlier (Sentaler ).
There are also differences in polyester linings; good polyester has a better sheen and reduces winter static. I own a Sentaler cape, and for someone who favors natural fabrics, I found Sentaler's polyester lining acceptable.
Returning to linings and double-face, when I browse higher-end cashmere brands like 1436 and Colombo, most cashmere coats are double-faced.
Moving from apron manufacturing to producing coats and suits marked a significant shift towards the high-end market for Akris. From my extensive knowledge of fashion, large apparel categories like coats, jackets, suits, and trench coats hold the most value. Brands like Burberry, Barbour, and The North Face demonstrate that excelling in one of these categories can define a brand and position it as mid-to-high-end.
For wearers, these large garments significantly enhance one’s aura. Well-crafted suits, trench coats, overcoats, and jackets can elevate the temperament of ordinary people and conceal body imperfections, especially since they are outerwear. My article on suits also highlights the transformative effect of these garments (17 Top Luxury Men's Suit Brands for Gentlemen ).
For someone like me, without particular body demands, enhancing my temperament relies on such well-tailored, comfortable large garments. Posh individuals who indulge in leisure often don't demand much of their physique. Their aura, influenced by their education and background, is further complemented by well-cut clothing, especially outerwear.
However, mastering such outerwear categories still primarily lies with Western brands. So far, no Chinese fashion brand has captured the elite aesthetic of these large garments. That relaxed yet refined elite vibe remains elusive. Chinese brands mostly focus on basic practicality, influenced by Soviet aesthetics, where practicality is paramount.
Returning to Akris, the second-generation leader understood that aprons wouldn’t lead to significant market growth. Transitioning to outerwear and suits, which demand more craftsmanship and design, was a critical turning point for Akris.
In 1980, Max Kriemler's son, Albert Kriemler, apprenticed at Givenchy before returning to St. Gallen to serve as Akris’s creative director. His brother, Peter Kriemler, oversees production and marketing.
1996: Akris launched its sub-line Akris Punto, emphasizing casual and sportswear.
2004: Akris debuted its collection at Paris Fashion Week, initiating seasonal collections.
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Currently, the official Akris website features dedicated sections that explore Horsehair, Double Face, Embroidery, Trapezoid, Color, and Prints. These in-depth studies highlight the brand's commitment to quality and high-end craftsmanship.
Horsehair
Horsehair refers to a traditional craft that utilizes the mane or tail hair of horses to create various items. This material is widely used in textiles, pottery, musical instruments, and furniture upholstery. Known for its sheen, durability, and unique texture, horsehair is often woven with cotton or silk as warp threads.
Akris sources its horsehair from free-range horses in Mongolia. As seen in the image below, the horsehair shines with a distinct luster. The tassel shown on the right is actually a necklace priced at €500.
Currently, Akris primarily uses horsehair in its bag collections, occasionally incorporating it into suits. The processing of horsehair involves a specialized weaving machine, dating back to 1884, which produces only 2.5 meters of fabric per day. This rarity drives the price of an Akris trapezoid horsehair bag to around €7,000.
Trapezoid
The trapezoid shape is a defining feature of the Akris logo. It can be found not only on bags but also on belt decorations and zippers.
Albert Kriemler​ drew inspiration for this design from the work of Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao at the Jinhua Architecture Park in Zhejiang, China.
Embroidery
Akris combines St. Gallen's renowned embroidery techniques with modern design. This marriage of tradition and innovation results in exquisite pieces.
Color
Akris is known for using vibrant, high-saturation colors that are particularly pure and unique. The brand often incorporates rare and unconventional shades into its collections.
Prints
Albert Kriemler enjoys collaborating with contemporary abstract artists, transforming their works into stunning prints for Akris clothing.
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Akris' Signature Categories
1. Suits:
Single-breasted and double-breasted styles with matching trousers or skirts.
Short jackets and formal minimalist double-faced dresses.
2. Outerwear:
100% silk parkas and 100% cashmere coats, particularly featuring Storm System® cashmere technology.
3. Knitwear:
The official website emphasizes lightweight, basic knitwear, which differs slightly from what I’ve seen offline. This category won't be elaborated on here.
4. Accessories:
Horsehair trapezoid bags are also worth considering for their distinctive design.
Lately, cashmere fabric is increasingly being used for shirt jackets, especially in menswear. Brands like God's True Cashmere and Drake's offer cashmere shirts in classic English vintage checks. In minimalist women's styles, besides Akris, I’ve only seen similar items at Arch4.
However, I find cashmere shirt jackets somewhat impractical—they tend to be oversized, making layering inconvenient, and wearing them alone feels too thin. These items are best suited for spring and autumn, but mixing summer and winter pieces usually suffices for those seasons, rendering them less useful. That said, Akris' typical customers probably don’t face these concerns. Their wardrobes are expansive, and many outfits are only worn once or twice a year.
Suits
I’m generally unsatisfied with women's suits, including those from Akris. They often resemble stereotypical double-breasted women's suits. For those who appreciate this style or require formal attire, these are worth buying—the fabric and detailing are excellent.
The piece below is composed of 57% viscose and 43% silk, with 100% cupro lining for the inner pockets (Akris often uses cupro lining in suits, coats, and parkas).
Double-breasted suits feature paired buttons. For instance, the William blue suit (above) has two buttons, while Nadine and Trinity (below) have four. There are also six-button versions.
The color and relaxed fit of the Trinity suit are attractive, though it’s tailored and best suited for slim figures like the model's. This is a less formal suit that I find appealing.
The Ariel set in green is also beautiful, featuring a cropped jacket and asymmetrical dress, both made of 100% wool.
Single-breasted suits have fewer buttons, which minimally affects the silhouette.
This single-breasted suit features high-quality fabric—97% cashmere and 3% silk, with linings made of either 100% silk or 100% cupro.
Akris also designs high-waisted cropped jackets.
These two jackets are made of 100% lambskin.
Dresses
Akris' dresses resemble those by Theory, serving as a more luxurious alternative. Akris predominantly uses wool instead of Theory’s synthetic fibers.
Most dresses are available in black and white.
Water-resistant Silk Parkas
This is the first time I’ve seen water-resistant parkas made of 100% silk. The lining consists of 55% viscose and 45% acetate.
The silk exterior combines luxury with functionality. I thought functional raincoats and parkas made of wool were already premium, but Akris goes further with 100% silk. This item is very popular online, often sold out in various sizes.
The model’s outfit demonstrates how the silk's luster exudes opulence without compromising functionality.
These two pieces are also 100% silk but look overly masculine due to their design and colors.
Cashmere Coats
Akris primarily offers cashmere coats in black, gray, and blue.
The black coats on either side below feature Loro Piana's Storm System® technology, making cashmere windproof and waterproof.
Bright-colored cashmere coats adopt the classic trench style, offering less distinctive designs compared to the above black coats.
The rightmost coat is made of 100% lambskin, while the rest use 100% cashmere.
Epilogue
From my personal experience with in-store fittings, Akris in terms of fabrics, design, brand style, and pricing is comparable to Gabriela Hearst , Khaite , The Row , and Sa Su Phi .When broken down, Akris and Sa Su Phi are slightly more affordable, but they remain in the high-end luxury brand category. This is a tier above minimalist, premium brands aimed at middle-class customers, such as Toteme ,Joseph, and CO
When Lane Crawford holds sales, Akris is also worth considering. Lane Crawford also features other niche, high-end minimalist luxury brands such as Fabiana Filippi and Armarium, both of which deserve their own reviews. Slightly lower-priced and less premium in fabric quality, brands like La Collection and Prune Goldschmidt are also excellent options for minimalist luxury.
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