2_0_DiscoverGermany_October14_Issue19:Scan Magazine 1
24/9/14
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Discover Germany | Special Theme | Christmas Gifts Ideas Left: Blaustrumpf Below: Geschäftsherrensocken
Socks in the Christmas stocking
tion.Yet I also had to witness counterfeits of my products. Thus it is essential for small labels to strengthen and protect their individuality,” summarizes Inés Bader. www.inesbader.ch
The Swiss textile designer Inés Bader creates individually patterned socks and scarves
Below: Tartaruga scarf Middle: Luna silk shawl
TEXT: JESSICA POMMER | PHOTOS: INÉS BADER
In her Basel-based atelier Inés Bader has made her passion for the stitch come true. She creates woven and knitted fabric for individually patterned stockings and scarves. Inés Bader calls herself a “colour-addicted thread acrobat”. She sells her high-quality products to boutique shops in Basel and the rest of Switzerland which resell them to their customers. This makes it possible for her to fully concentrate on the creative task of creating tissue patterns. Inés Bader holds up the local tradition of textile manufacturing. “In order to get my products duplicated I have to search gradually within a bigger radius. This is a symptom of the disappearance of textile manufacture in Switzerland,”she says. Inés Bader has pursued her business for 20 years. Before that she worked as a textile design employee for Swiss companies. She used her spare to create unique long-lasting gifts for friends, and soon the idea to produce textile accessories on a professional level was born. Ms Bader turned her passion into profession.The first sock mod-
78 | Issue 19 | October 2014
els were the Geschäftsherrensocken [businessmen socks]. Inés Bader felt the need to spice up the conservative business outfit and created black stockings with multicoloured toe parts. The socks are often bought by women as a present for men. But of course women can also wear them too. The Sonntagssocken [Sunday socks] are designed with vivacious colours and patterns. The Blaustrumpf [blue sock] is another model, a knee-sock. Its name alludes to various historical figures. In the 19th century, emancipated women were called “Blaustrumpf”, a term which was first used in 1750s London. Inés Bader first gained reputation by the invention of the scarf Tartaruga, a three-dimensional knitwear scarf. She also develops woven silk scarves. Nowadays Inés Bader´s inventions enjoy cult status throughout Switzerland. Especially before Christmas there is a high demand for her products.“I am happy to contribute something to the individuality of design which tends to get homogenised in mass produc-
Inés Bader