Lecture and Fashion Show by the Swiss-Japanese Designer Kazu Huggler

Co-sponsored event of the Swiss-Japanese Chamber of Commerce and the Swiss-Japanese Society

18:00 Door opening

18:30 Beginning of the Lecture and Fashion Show
by Designer Kazu Huggler

19:30 Cocktail

Kazu Huggler, born in Tokyo to a Japanese mother and a Swiss father, she was raised in both, Japan and Switzerland. After completing the International Baccalaureate in Zurich, she enrolled in Tokyo’s Keio University and graduated with a degree in Japanese History of Art and Aesthetics. Back in Zürich, she worked in the marketing and sales department of Fabric Frontline Zurich. After, she enrolled in the Swiss University of Art and Design (Hochschule für Gestaltung) and two years later, she departed for London’s Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and received a degree of BA with highest mark. In London, Kazu was apprenticed to Vivienne Westwood.

Her label is heavily influenced by Japanese themes – kimono patterns, ancient printmaking, Japanese aesthetics – and traditional philosophies of dressing. While most of Kazu Huggler’s inspiration comes from her Japanese background, her designs are geared to the global marketplace. Focused on high quality material and manufacturing, her couture, her ready-to-wear clothes and accessories are printed and made in Switzerland.

Kazu Huggler pulls inspiration for her textile designs not only from ancient kimono patterns but also from Japanese flora and fauna. Her textile prints are known for their familiar flowers, birds and other animals. In the meantime, her textiles evoke stylized or exotic images – depicting her strong background in aesthetics, art and design.

During a fashion show of her creations, Kazu Huggler will explain step-by-step how she is developing her ideas into the final garment and succeeding in the women’s fashion business in Switzerland.