enSoie

enSoie’s predecessor, Königsberger, Schimmelburg & Cie. is founded in Zürich, a city renowned for its silk trade. Technical innovations and favourable customs regulations in Zürich offer an ideal economic climate. The company becomes one of the world’s most important players in the silk trade.

The leading Parisian fashion houses and designers – Dior, Balenciaga, Balmain, Carven, Givenchy – order their customized fabric collections from the company.

While still a student, Monique Meier begins working for the company, contributing creations of her own. She also travels to India for the first time, where she encounters a new universe of colour. The journey proves a seminal experience for the company's artistic vision.

The Meier family take over the silk company.

Monique Meier becomes the director. Her vision is to create a brand of her own with a distinctive identity that is as contemporary as it is classical. She wants to produce sustainable products out of quality materials and promote traditional handcrafted methods of production.

Dieter Meier and Boris Blank found the band Yello. They embark on a creative collaboration with enSoie.

The company name is changed to Sourire enSoie AG, enSoie for short. The store and atelier are opened in a 14th-century building in Zürich’s old town.

Rabbits make their first appearance in the company's logo and on the products themselves. These cheerful, curious, capricious creatures symbolize change, fertility and creativity.

The first enSoie silk foulard is created to celebrate the birth of Monique & Dieter Meier’s first daughter «Eleonore». A foulard is created in honour of each child that follows.

Now an enSoie classic, the vichy pattern is first introduced as a fabric – a balanced plain weave in which warp and weft are of the same weight and size. The pattern is applied to a variety of other products, for instance, hand-painted on ceramics.

The product line is diversified, with designs produced in ceramics, bronze, silver, gold, wood and leather.

The inimitable enSoie heart is originally cast by hand in silver and later also in ceramics and gold.

The enSoie exhibition «Hasenzauber» is organized at  Museum Bellerive in Zürich from 13 June to 13 September 1998.

In 2009 we launch our first «carry all bag». Today, ten years later it is already an enSoie classic.

Dieter Meier pens the motto «Love Rules Forever». Engraved, screenprinted or embroidered, it has since embellished all kinds of objects.

Monique and Dieter Meier’s youngest daughter Anna Meier becomes the creative director of enSoie. A new logo, new typeface and new packaging are among the innovations.

The collection «route de la soie» is presented at the fashion show Mode Suisse Edition 9 at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst in Zürich.

The scarf «Zurich ma ville» is a declaration of love for the city. Patches of colour represent various aspects of Zürich: marine blue for the lake, yellow for the hours of sunshine, blue for the river, pink for the flowers and grey for the cobblestones.

enSoie launches a café on the stairs to the Lindenhof.

Monique Meier's daughters Anna and Sophie took over the management of the company. The store, studios and ateliers, where design, realisation, organisation, communication and sales have found their place, are all located under the roof of the 'enSoie family house' at Strehlgasse 26.

The dancing rabbit family in our logo celebrates the two shops and the two latest generations of the enSoie community.

The baby and children's store «petit enSoie» is integrated into the motherhouse at Strehlgasse 26. The cultural space Rindermarkt 23 is created from the freed room.

enSoie is celebrating it’s 130 years anniversary. More than a century of tradition, craftsmanship, creativity, love, passion, and family.