Meet: Salut Kidswear
I’m so happy to expand the brand coverage at Hey That’s Nice a little and step in to some kidswear! I never did it before, but when you meet someone as lovely as Anne Lutz, founder and creator at Salut Kidswear, it is kind of hard to resist!
Some things I love about Salut is that all of her creations are inspired by childrens art work, she uses 100% fair and sustainable materials even down to the packaging and her general spirit and vibe is so marvelous! Read on to get to know her some more :)
You can shop Salut at Hey That’s Nice at the Online POPUP and receive free shipping with code SALUTSUMMER
Where are you based?
In Arvenbüel since 3 years, before that we used to live in Zürich. Arvenbüel is a small village 50 minutes by car from Zürich. It’s located on 1400m over sea level, amongst mountains, fields and forest, some cows, deers and other funny creatures. My atelier is in Amden, a 10min Vespa-drive away from home.
When did you start your business and what made you take the leap?
The brand started here in Arvenbüel. About 2 years ago (Salut Kidswear was launched last June) I always knew that I someday wanted to have an own brand, I just didn’t know what.
Having a background in product design but also loving graphic design, I thought that creating patterns for a certain products would allow me to merge those two passions.
So basically Salut Kidswear started because I wanted to create patterns. I like the kids’ universe, I like how you can be more playful and less rigid than the « adults’ world ».
It feels like anything is possible and allowed in the kids’ world, there are no creative boundaries, which I like and find very inspiring.
Tell us a little about your line and the ethos behind it?
I aspire to create a kids clothing brand that is different. Kids deserve clothes with sophisticated and lasting designs that do not compromise on form or function. Parents want kids clothes that are unisex and of high-quality that can easily be shared and passed on to many kids and friends. Our planet needs companies to think more holistically about the entire life-cycle of products and more broadly about the environmental impact of what is produced and sold.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Ideas come in very different places, moments and times.
Sometimes while I visit an exhibition, while on a roadtrip, when talking to someone, when I read a book or a magazine, but sometimes also when I’m gardening or taking a shower or while running.
But of course like a lot of people, the internet and also Instagram in a great inspiration source for me.
Do you have advice or encouragement for anyone wanting to start their own small business?
Just do it, don’t think about it too much.
And listen to your gut - intuition is the best guidance.
I wrote a blog post about this subject here!
And something a little fun:
Favorite Store?
Hard one! But in general I would say I’m pretty fan of all the old school Brocki’s (Swiss German word for thrift store) that you can find in the smallest, most remote little villages in Switzerland.
I love the act of trying to find new treasure that not everyone has. And of course giving a second live to products is something very sustainable from my point of view.
Favorite bar/restaurant/cafe?
This always changes but I recently discovered Miro Café in Zürich and the Gratitude Café in LA.
Favorite travel destination?
Trying to reduce my footprint by taking the plane as little as possible.
So having this in mind I’d say taking our « Büssli » and going anywhere on a roadtrip with my boyfriend Thomas. Even in Switzerland there is super cool spots to be discovered.
But my favorite cities are definitely Copenhagen and San Francisco.
Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment?
Right now I’m reading « Mond » from the Astrophysicist Ben Moor.
I have this fascination for the moon, I like how it shows us that time is passing (crescent and descending moon) and how it makes us feel small.
Love listening to podcasts while I work: my favorite series is « how I built this » on NPR, so inspiring.
