enSoie

La vie enSoie, November 2, 2024 – January 25, 2025. 

Preview Friday, November 1, 2024, 18.00

Saalhof 1123
Rebgasse 41
4058 Basel

Zurich-based family business enSoie is in many ways like the grandmother of the clever concept stores for good taste that can now be found in every metropolis in the world – and with SAALHOF 1123 even in Basel. Since 1984, enSoie has been offering everything from clothing and accessories to household textiles such table and bed linen, from ceramics, handicrafts and jewelry to cosmetics and cooking books – everything the dripping heart desires - which, along with the dancing rabbits, appears as a logo on many products. What sets enSoie apart from well-curated concept stores, department stores or fashion groups, however, is that all products are still designed and developed in-house at the headquarters on Zurich's Strehlgasse and produced in small batches in close collaboration with manufacturers and artisan workshops. On the one hand, this guarantees high-quality materials and perfect  craftsmanship. At the same time, however, this also explains the coherence of the special ‘enSoie look’ - which skillfully balances between classic and artistically playful elements, or between traditional materials and patterns, luxury, romance and an always contemporary understanding of form, colour and body.

The reasons for the success and uniqueness of enSoie also lie in the special history and constellation of the brand. Sisters Anna and Sophie Meier, who have been running the studio and shop for several years, are closely involved in every aspect of the business and have literally grown up in the shop. Their mother MoniqueMeier travelled the world as an employee of the traditional Zurich silk merchant ‘Abraham und Brauchbar AG’ back in the early 1970s, selling its precious silk fabrics to haute couture houses such as Chanel, Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent. A few years later, when the Swiss textile industry collapsed under competition from the USA and Asia, Monique Meier was able to take over the company, which had been in existence since 1894.
For another 40 years under the name enSoie (French for ‘in silk’), Monique Meier has successfully continued to develop the rich history of the silk trade. One product has organically followed another, each an expression of Monique Meier and her family's many trips to India and South America, for example, but also the result of many friendships and long, personal relationships.To this day, the studios in Zurich's old town are characterised by family spirit as well as collaborations with other designers, including Sonnhild Kestler and Flaka Jahaj, whose creations are also available at SAALHOF 1123.

So if one wants, one can truly live "une vie enSoie’. Because art, music, wine and food are also catered for in the home and businesses of the Meier family, which includes Anna, Sophie and Monique as well as Eleonore and Francis, and not least the artist, musician and entrepreneur Dieter Meier.

While attributes such as ‘high-quality’ or ‘handmade’ are used by many brands, it is the unique blend of intimacy and sophistication that characterises enSoie‘s products. They offer to become part of a universe that stands for originality and preciousness, but just as well as for curiosity and freedom. enSoie tells stories of home, time and devotion in a world in which consumer goods have become interchangeable and arbitrary. At the same time, it's an invitation to an intuitive voyage full of sensual memories and cultural references: from Toggenburg via Zurich to Paris, to Kolkata and Nepal, to Argentina, Los Angeles, New York and back again.

SAALHOF 1123 is delighted to offer a fine but comprehensive selection of products by enSoie – as currently the only shop in the world. In addition to the latest interior collections of silk bedding, velvet cushions and woollen blankets, this also includes classics such as the Vichy pattern table linen or the Diamond plates, mugs and vases. Giant cashmere scarves and shawls are complemented by leather bags modelled on saddle bags, silk treasures for everyday use and bags in a wide range of sizes. We are particularly pleased to also show a selection of bronze objects by Monique Meier, whose signature can be found in everything, but whose unconventional vision is particularly evident here.