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Why I love Switzerland   from Tyler Brûlé
When I traveled to Stockholm at the beginning of last week to inaugurate an exhibition, I learned that Sweden hates me. «Tyler Brûlé turns away from our country, he merely still likes Switzerland», wrote the newspapers. A journalist even claimed I would proceed with my countries preference alphabetically: «He is seducing the Swiss now, we were his darlings five years ago.» - «Why then», I asked the author, «have I passed over Swaziland?»

For the memory: I still love Sweden - handsome resident, fine household-commodities and excellent summers. But I love Switzerland longer. Both countries have but characteristics which make her lovable places worth living, but Switzerland already enchanted me as a child. The reasons: kitschy Swiss Canadian watch TV coproductions with sweet avalanche dogs, visits with my Parents in Zurich and my love of all things which serve the locomotion. The idea quite particularly fascinated me, that this nice spot would more than 240-times in my native country Canada place found. 25 years later, I still find pleasure in these childhood memories. However, values and qualities which put Switzerland on the top rank, of my personal charts, of the developed countries joined it. Without a special order I list, why as of now still once in a while, namely weekly, I become voyage outs:

  • Infrastructure: The integrated Swiss transportation system is the best of the world. Swiss clearly already know this for a long time. But people, who have her headquarters in New York or, like me, in London, find it refreshingly, in Switzerland smoothly to change out of clean, proportionally cheap trains into exactly the same streetcars or busses. And this at the same time in which the rest of the world gets stuck.
     
  • Standardization: No other country has managed to succeed with more norms. Example bathroom - whom leaves a nation unimpressed, one has standardized tooth glasses and soap dishes? There is this standardization density in all areas of the daily life, for example for bedlinen, windows and washrooms; an infallible sign, that Swiss feel better than residents of other countries.
     
  • Arrogance: I am supporter of a healthy portion of arrogance, and Swiss have much of this. For sound reasons but not always, but this doesn't matter. This trait guarantees interesting discussions.
     
  • Indifference: An appearance to the streets of Lausanne, St. Gallen or Basel shows, that Swiss of shortlived fashions remain untouched. Although they love luxury brands, they seem to have an innate stubbornness, to use the products according to the companies which produce her. This may be a superficial observation, but I am not the only one, who makes this. Many visitors are astonished, if it is about the personal style of the Swiss. 1972? 1992? 2002? Whom does it concern? We carry and put into the living room which we like - and takes us very well at this, n'est-ce pas?
     
  • Variety: Agreeable, an obvious knowledge. Yet important, because variety is the gluten, they holds this Swiss way of live together. Swiss change from a foreign language into the other one, Swiss open her limits for refugees, and Swiss accept new, revolutionary design and architecture ideas. For me some of the most impressive qualities this nation.
     
  • Modernity: At first sight one wouldn't describe Swiss as special innovation joyfully. But Switzerland is one of the most important markets for modern design together with Japan. It doesn't matter, if Danish manufacturer of steel teapots or Swedish bedding manufacturer - who is looking for open, purchase joyful consumers, must work on Switzerland. From time to time lead the readiness, to be modern, into the wrong direction. In most cases, however, it brings the country something and consolidatet his top position.
     
  • Quality of life: Do I have to say more? The life cannot be much better, my darlings. Of course there is Sydney - but Swiss doesn't fly there (still) to. And Spain arranges a little of the way of life of the new world in Europe - merely it is often tiring, being pioneer. There is nothing better but to sit in the center and to be visited by all others.
     
  • Precision: engineering, schedules adhere, bookkeeping, the banks - Precision and precision are an unbeatable combination, this makes life better. Exception: Swiss journalism; local newspapers are terribly inaccurate. What something good has in turn, they makes me in newspaper articles from a 33 year old man to a 32 or 31 year old one.
     
  • Opportunities: The good life makes sluggish. Sluggishness creates opportunities for outsiders. Switzerland has a set of undiscovered brands with unexhausted potential. What it needs, is a breath of magical marketing dust - and the country is ready for a couple of further export success stories.

Tyler Brûlé is chef of the Wallpaper-Group.
Being part of it the magazine Wallpaper and the advertising agency Wink, they work out the phenotype of «Swiss».
 
Translate from English to German by Mark van Huisseling

Retranslat from German to English by anakonda.ch

© Weltwoche Ausgabe 07/2002

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