Who are Anna & Juan?
We are Josefina and Luzius, a designer couple (in business and privately) with a passion for textiles, natural colours and sustainability.
We started this project together back in 2011 and recently expanded our team.
We started making colour samples with locally sourced yarns and plant materials on our tiny balcony in Lucerne (CH). Over the years we researched locally available materials, colour sources and old dyeing recipes and adapted them to our design concept, keeping our customers’ needs in mind.
Since our start, we have hosted three pop-up stores, ran a studio in the old indoor swimming pool in Lucerne (“Neubad”, 2013 – 2014) and a shop in Zurich in Kreis 4 (2015 – 2017). Finally, in 2019, we opened our studio in Zurich Oerlikon.
Our project has participated in fairs and exhibitions and has been featured in renowned international publications.
Design is a cornerstone in our concept. And we believe that textile craftsmanship is not “just a trend”.
Josefina Eliggi: I am a textile and fashion designer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I studied Fine Arts and Printmaking at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata and Fashion and Textile Design at FADU, Buenos Aires. Until 2011, I worked on limited edition hand-printed accessories and garments for my own label “Josefina Eliggi”. Between 2005 and 2011 I also taught art and design. In 2010 I started experimenting with natural dyes.
In February 2013, I graduated from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) with a Master’s degree in Design. In the following years I also became a certified yoga teacher (RYT 200) and specialised in perinatal yoga.
Luzius Schnellmann: I graduated in Visual Communication from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) in 2006. Afterwards I worked as a freelancer in Switzerland and abroad.
From 2008 to 2013, I was an assistant in the Master of Arts in Design programme at HSLU, where I also taught in the fields of sustainability, animation and graphic design.
Since 2010 I have been directing international workshops in the field of sustainability and design, e.g. as part of the annual Sustainable Summer School and now almost exclusively for Anna & Juan.
Why we do this?
Water pollution, mountains of waste and labour exploitation are some of the impacts of today’s textile and fashion production on an industrial scale. In many cases some very harmful substances are still used in the dyeing process and are often released unfiltered into the environment. Fast fashion also produces enormous amounts of waste that is difficult to dispose of.
These facts made us think about our responsibility as designers and business owners, about the consequences of the choices we make: the kind of materials and resources we use, the time involved in production, the quality of the products and their longevity. The use of natural colours as a design element in a modern context has also caught our attention. However, we are aware that the production and use of natural dyes is not the answer to all the problems of the textile industry and also only makes sense if the materials are carefully selected and the processes are as efficient as possible. That is why we are keen to create transparency and raise awareness, e.g. through our courses and workshops.
Why is our label called “Anna & Juan”?
It’s a romantic story, but to find out how the name came about, you have to sign up for our newsletter here ;)
