Valentin's Letter

Fall | Winter 2023

Dear Friends, 

We are currently rebuilding our headquarters. It's pounding, banging and vibrating every day. 

Many of the team members have moved to our warehouse, less than five minutes away by bike. There is a real camp atmosphere, with everyone much closer to each other than usual, creating a new dynamic: marketing, sales, e-commerce, production, logistics - all together in one spot. I love that change.  

Some are working from home and others are stayin here at Frauenthal, resisting the sound and dirt of a construction site below. It's more fun to see each other live. Creativity is not created on the screens, nor is culture and identity. 

Sometimes employees leave, even after many years. That always hurts. But it is also part of the growth and development. And some come back after a while. Recently, a designer who originally started with us as a trainee. 

When you talk to former employees - many are still friends with each other - you often hear that they miss the spirit here, the togetherness in the team. Many have found close friends here. I am proud of this spirit and these friendships. 

Now the house is being turned upside down. The framework around us, for our work and these personal connections, will be redesigned. Every day a new wall comes down: for more light, more openness, bigger rooms, plus walls artfully plastered by a restorer.  

The villa from 1894 is being connected to the present. A small departure in the middle of it all. 

Everything should be ready in September. I just pray that no more staircases will sag by then...