At only 26 years old and following growing up in Asia, Annabelle Hutter took over the reins of Säntis Textiles AG, a Swiss company active in the textile industry. This young entrepreneur has no shortage of projects since she has also launched her own sustainable brand specializing in recycled clothing. Interview.
This content was published on February 22, 2023 – 13:00
Coming from a family fond of textile machines, the St. Gallen Stefan Hutter found himself in the 1990s in Asia in the commercial direction of Rieter, a Swiss company leader in this field. In addition to marrying a Swedish-Thai woman, this Swiss from abroad also sniffed out a great business opportunity: to become a kind of business developer between Asian suppliers of textile products and European industrial customers.
To do this, Stefan Hutter not only selects the right suppliers but also guarantees the quality of their production, even if it means modifying manufacturing processes or adapting machines. This is how Säntis Textiles was created in Singapore in 2005.
Today, this group has a hundred employees spread over ten countries. In October 2022, Stefan Hutter decided to hand over the general management of his Swiss company to his daughter Annabelle. Meeting in Zurich with the new boss.
Annabelle Hutter, a young entrepreneur active in the textile industry. Annabelle Hutter
swissinfo.ch: After living abroad for so many years, do you still consider yourself Swiss?
Annabelle Hutter: I did indeed grow up with my parents in Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, China and Thailand; moreover, I studied mainly in Edinburgh and Paris. But I still spent my summers in Roggwil, in the canton of Thurgau.
I have been living in Zurich for a little over a year now. I love Switzerland and I feel very Swiss. I really like the thoughtful slowness of the Swiss, so different from the haste so common in Southeast Asia. Here, I also really appreciate the modesty of the people as well as their ability to work hard while maintaining a balance between professional and private life.
Last year, your father handed over the management of Säntis Textiles AG to you when you were only 26 years old. What challenges do you face?
My father remains chairman of the board. He is very interested in the technical aspects, especially textile machinery and production. He has also built relationships of trust with our industrial customers, for example car manufacturers.
As far as I’m concerned, I’ve been very busy managing new clients, in this case fashion brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Patagonia or Lacoste. To do this, I relied on my first professional experiences acquired before joining the family company. I worked for four years at Publicis then PVH, the parent company of Tommy Hilfiger. In other words, internally, my father and I are very complementary.
Externally, as a young woman, I admit that it is not always easy to gain respect, particularly because of the typical patriarchy in certain countries such as Turkey.
But isn’t the textile industry known to attract many female executives?
This is undoubtedly true in the world of fashion but not in that of textile production.
The Swiss headquarters of Säntis Textiles is located in Bühler, in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Why this choice?
My father comes from St. Gallen, not far from Bühler and Säntis, a peak in the Appenzell Prealps. It is therefore quite natural that we registered our company in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden where we only have a small office. Zurich is where we plan to grow.
In 2019, Säntis Textiles set up a production line in Turkey. What is the idea of this new development which deviates from your traditional activities?
In 2016, my father had the idea to create the first machines in the world capable of producing yarns and fabrics with recycled cotton. These machines were designed in St. Gallen and are manufactured mainly in Turkey. It is in this country that our small factory is located, which already supplies fabrics to brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste and Patagonia. We are already on the second generation of these machines and we will even start marketing them later this year.
“Säntis Textiles has created the first machines in the world capable of producing yarns and fabrics with recycled cotton”
End of insertion
If you sell these machines, don’t you risk generating competition for your Turkish production?
The goal of Säntis Textiles has never been to own and manage a multitude of factories all over the world. The main purpose of our pilot production in Turkey is above all to allow the development of our new machines.
And aren’t you worried regarding others copying your machines?
To prevent our machines from being copied, we will proceed like many other Swiss companies: the manufacture of certain key components will take place exclusively in Switzerland; like the Coca Cola formula, our key know-how will be protected by trade secrets and will never be disclosed in our patents.
The Swiss textile industry is renowned throughout the world. How do you view its development?
This industry has indeed had a pioneering position but, in recent decades, it has lost part of its aura following the relocation to the East of many spinning and weaving activities. Nevertheless, Switzerland is regaining its leading position through innovation and quality.
In addition, Swiss Textiles, the umbrella organization of our branch, is exceptionally dynamic and is able to generate synergies between its members. And the Swiss School of Textiles (Schweizerische Textilfachschule) offers high quality training: I also took a course there on sustainability.
In Thailand, you launched your own sustainable brand Born on Saturday. What are the synergies with Säntis Textiles?
Legally, my own company Born on Saturday is completely separate from Säntis Textiles. Nevertheless, the Turkish factory of Säntis Textiles is a supplier of Born on Saturday. My goal with my own company is to help change the negative image of recycled clothing in Thailand. In a later phase, I plan an expansion of this brand in Switzerland.
The textile industry is one of the main sources of pollution on the planet and alone emits 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Is “slow fashion” or slow fashion not the best solution to this problem?
People are getting really tired of the plethora of sustainability messaging, especially as greenwashing is rampant. Also, I don’t think “slow fashion” is the only avenue because customers will always want to buy a lot of clothes. In my opinion, the most viable solution will be to produce sustainably, in particular from recycled materials, in such a way that consumers no longer even realize it.
What do you think of new super-fast fashion brands, like China’s Shein?
This phenomenon is terrible! Shein is undoubtedly a worldwide success, in particular with young people seduced by competitive prices and a vast and constantly evolving offer. But I am certain that this success is short-lived because the clientele will end up having had enough of the misdeeds of “fast fashion” on the environment and society. Maybe we need pop-up companies like Shein to make society understand the negatives of super-fast fashion.
Text proofread and checked by Samuel Jaberg
In accordance with JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
