Valentin's Letter
Pre Fall 2023
Dear Friends,
I like to talk with my hands. Maybe the hidden Italian in me, even though I only lived in Rome for a year. I like that: writing figuratively and words that you can see, or even better, feel. Just like you should close your eyes when you try on a sweater: How does it feel right now? How do I feel? Sometimes I can make a decision much better than when I look at myself in the mirror. I see something that bothers me there anyway.
A few weeks ago, I got a handwritten letter from a customer, four pages long. She wanted to say thank you, and told her story with Iris von Arnim and what a great pleasure she has with our collection: "All I have to do in the morning is consider the weather and my schedule and find out which colour suits my mood, then I can put together the right outfit very quickly. Since I've been doing that,I leave the house with a smile every day" - I think everyone can imagine how that made my heart soar. Of course, one should look good in Iris von Arnim, stylish at every moment. But what if you smile a little while you're doing it, your heart lifts and you become lighter...?
Sometimes there is quite a serious discussion here in the house. The standards are high, very high. Every centimetre, every seam, every shade of colour is fought over. Iris has been living this for 45 years. Cashmere is a natural material, slightly different every year, depending on the weather, winter and goat. It is not always easy to achieve our own standards. In such heated moments I like to think of this customer. Or of a friend who recently sent me a picture of himself in an Iris von Arnim jacket with the comment: "Feels damn good to me". And then it's just fun what we create here every day.
