In 1819, 16-year-old Christian Fischbacher likely had no idea that the textile company he founded would go on to become a storied brand passed from one generation to the next.
These days, the family-run business based in St Gallen, Switzerland, is safely in the hands of the savvy, forward-looking sixth generation — specifically Michael and Camilla Fischbacher, who are CEO and Artistic Director, respectively. Here, Camilla reflects on growing a 200-year-old brand without losing its design DNA, fostering a healthy environment and working with her husband.
What's the secret behind the brand's successful evolution?
The most important factor in evolving is the willingness to change, while sticking to the core principle of the brand: procuring beautiful, high-quality textiles for a global customer base.
What experiences, inclinations, or other factors influence the creative studio’s work?
Each collection begins with a theme, inspired by ideas collected on trips, at trade fairs or during visits to producers, and thorough research on trends. We visualise our chosen themes with mood boards. Swatches of fabrics are tested and initial designs follow. The interplay of tradition and innovation is essential to our design philosophy. We create fresh, contemporary patterns, often based on historical inspirations.
What's your vision for the brand?
We love interiors — carefully designed, high-end interiors that make the people living in them happy every time they take in the beauty of their home or their hotel room. And we hope to reach more and more people all over the world with our products. That’s all, really.
Could you tell us a bit about the process of coming up with and executing your anniversary collection this year? What else are you excited about in 2019?
We decided to just go all out and create the fabrics we always wanted to do. We ended up with a collection bursting with creativity. We’re very excited about the fabrics coming this year, among which is a world-first: a recycled, flame-retardant, outdoor velvet we’re launching this month at Fuori Salone in Milan.
Do you ever find it difficult to work with your husband?
Michael and I separate our domains clearly, and strictly respect each other’s competence in our respective roles. He is in charge of running the company, but when it comes to the artistic direction, he leaves the final decision up to me. The only difficulty we face is that we work too much: we try to separate our private lives and conversations from work, but we don’t always succeed.
How would you describe the working culture in your company, and how do you foster this kind of environment?
In our company, we have very flat hierarchies where anyone can offer their opinions and suggestions to Michael or me. A core value we try to live up to is respect: every individual has the right to be respected, no matter what. While we can’t make sure that this principle holds everywhere in the world, we can start in our own environment, and that is our family and our company.
Photography courtesy of Christian Fischbacher
A version of this article originally appears in our April 2019 issue.
See also: Inside the Home of the Sixth Generation Leading Christian Fischbacher
