LA COLLECTIVE – A NEW LUXURY SHOPPING EXPERIENCE IN GENEVA
by Alexandra Belz
Geneva’s latest concept shop, La Collective, brings together five exciting brands under one roof in Pâquis that are very different, yet they all have one other thing in common: SUSTAINABILITY. They also have all been set up by female entrepreneurs.
The shop is at the very cutting edge of the latest trends in fashion and luxury items – where the new buzz words are individualism, personalised, minimising waste and sourcing from responsible sources.
The bright, modern space in one of Geneva’s coolest quartiers used to be home to one of the local brands, Tallis, but has been expanded to become a collective space and showroom for like-minded brands. This is not your average high street shopping experience – WE LOVE IT!
TALLIS
British founder Lilly Milligan Gilber, managing her brand from Singapore, believes all materials can be sourced responsibly, so all her products are made of natural materials. She uses mostly cashmere and real, re-purposed fur for her beautiful knitwear and accessories. The story behind each item is unusual: for example beanies are made from vintage cashmere jumpers and your Tallis cashmere jumper can even be returned to be made into a beanie for free, when you’re ‘done’ with it or if you’ve accidentally shrunk it in the wash! If you love fur but don’t want to offend, Tallis is your answer, as the fur is either obtained as a by-product of the food industry or through the purchase of vintage garments via re-sellers or reclaimed from environmental management programs. You will find a description on each product about where and how the fur has been sourced and why Tallis trusts this source. The products are made in Switzerland and Italy.
By the way – The Tallis is a legendary deer, its name derives from a talisman – thought to bring good luck.
Our favourite piece: a wonderfully soft cashmere Hoody that promises no pilling and feels like you will never want to take it off again. Available in grey, navy and black.
RUE VAUTIER
Founder Naomi Walsky, originally from Alaska, studied Art History in Rome, but has learned her sewing skills from her mum as a little girl. She lives in Montreux.
Her exceptional BRIDAL wear is easily wearable for an elegant evening out, as well as being a stunning and individual look for brides. Naomi chooses the fabrics very carefully from different countries and also has a prêt-à-porter collection with an interesting spin to it, as she uses ‘dead stock´ (fabric leftover from famous brands), which she turns into gorgeous little tops, skirts or pants. Due to the small quantities of fabric, most pieces will only be produced a few times (so you will own an almost unique piece). Another passion is her jewellery collection (for example long necklaces with glass drops from chandeliers) and metallic leather pouches perfect for laptops (available on demand only).
Naomi will produce only on demand and can personalise tailoring of the clothes you choose.
Our favourite piece: a beautiful silky Viscose top with an exotic palm leave and floral print… or maybe the elegant chain earrings?
PINK MAHARANI
Founder Narmada decided to build this brand by connecting entrepreneurship and social impact. She went on a sourcing trip to Asia and travelled from Jaipur to Chang-La to find the most ethical cashmere wool. She found it in the highest plains of Ladakh where nomadic families living in remote mountain regions hand-weave PINK MAHARINI’s scarfs and foulards into the finest Pashminas. Some scarfs are hand-embroidered which can take many months to finish. Not only will you help women in India to earn fair wages and be more independent but your purchase can also help children and teenage girls as the brand supports the families of the women who work for them.
Our favourite piece: The colours of the scarves are all incredible… best to go see for yourself.
APPAREAL
Founder Olesya is from Russia and has always shown a great interest in sustainability. She therefore uses hi-tech fabrics made from recycled materials that are eco-tech certified. Even old fishing nets find a use and transform her collection into beautiful and very wearable garments. All of the pieces can be put into the washing machine, are quick to dry and can be worn without any ironing… how practical! The dresses have an amazing cut to make you look elegant and gorgeous.
Our preferred piece: hard to decide between the navy blue coat lined with soft-white teddy lining or the incredible off-white dress (fitted on top with an A-line skirt lined with a recycled fishing net)
CALIQ
Founder Claudia Cichon was inspired by the influences and scents of the Far East, as she was born and raised in Hong Kong. Her passion for home fragrances and scented candles inspired her to start her own business. The exotic fragrances are blended into Caliq’s products in Geneva. The candles are made with organic coconut wax and are hand poured into the pure white matte porcelain containers. All items, from the container to the packaging boxes, are made from sustainable products and can be repurposed once its original use has ended. You can even bring the empty jar back to the showroom to have a new candle poured into it. The standard size candle burns around 35 hours and the large one for about 60 hours and the prices are very reasonable at CHF 45 for the standard jar and CHF115 for the large size.
For weddings or events, Claudia can create your own personal scent with your input to be used in wedding favours for example.
Our favourite piece: We liked Lily of the valley a lot as well as Wild Frangipani… choose your poison and have it made into the candle or a diffuser.
The brand owners are co-founders of this simple, yet impressive collective showroom (now you know where the name comes from) and take turns to work in the shop. They are more then happy to share to help you find the perfect gift or that missing piece in your wardrobe.
The location is right behind the Hotel d’Angleterre and a footstep away from the Kempinski hotel, where you can park if you’re not lucky enough to find a spot on the street.
WHERE
10, rue Docteur Alfred Vincent
1201 Geneva
WHEN
Opening hours:
Wednesday-Friday 10:00- 18:00
Monday-Tuesday please check on the individual website of each brand as sometimes one of these days the showroom is closed, if open it will be 10:00- 18:00.
Saturday 14:00-18:00
Sundays closed
