Simone, what does women’s health mean to you?
People are far too hesitant to talk about women’s health. In Switzerland, what’s most important is that everything works and stays on track – including people. I want a different kind of life. That’s why I take time to enjoy nature. That always renews my strength and makes me ready for the day, even if it’s just for 15 minutes. When a week goes by where I can’t go out for a walk, my sense of time changes entirely and I feel less comfortable with myself.
What sets your design apart?
In my designs, forest animals and plants are important. So I decorated my rabbits with flowers. These symbols represent in a playful manner the complex women’s health issue of ovarian cancer while also invoking strength, speed and adaptability. I used the bunny theme a lot this season, sometimes even in neon pink. My other cushions feature wild sow, foxes and deer. I hope my pillows are reassuring and positive, with a touch of indulgence. Vulnerability and strength are opposites, but that’s life. That contradiction informs the design right down to the filling of down and pine wood.
Why did you participate in the Storyfabrics + Manja Gideon Foundation project?
Designers can use their work to explore issues in a particularly powerful way. Other professions lack these tools. But that also gives us a certain responsibility. I feel obligated to use my designs for good causes that deserve more attention. Mother’s Day is just two days after World Ovarian Cancer Day. On May 10, I plan to put time aside to think about what being a woman means to me. For the last eight years, my mother has been constantly by my side. She helps me with my stand at all the trade shows and markets. She’s my rock and anchor.
Simone Huser is a designer. She designs pillow covers, towels, hammam cloths and tablecloths. She loves meadows, forests and lakes, and often integrates them into her designs. Aside from textiles, she makes jewellery and sells spice mixtures, liqueurs and syrups. She lives in Gempen SO.
The originals of these covers can be ordered at www.storyfabrics.com/en.
For each pillow cover sold, 50 CHF will be donated to MGF.