ABOUT
The reality of fashion in the '80s and '90s.
Yvonne Vermeulen's career began with an internship at Fiorucci in Milan, which she obtained after graduating from the Vogue Academy in Amsterdam. The internship gave her a chance to learn about casualwear and see denim evolve into statement pieces.
After her time at the iconic fashion house Fiorucci, Yvonne was hired as head designer and buyer for a major Dutch fashion company, which meant constant travel through the Far East. India, China, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea—Yvonne saw factories filled with workers racing against impossible quotas. Children playing in textile landfills. Workers handling toxic dyes with bare hands, environmental devastation dismissed as "standard industry practice." When she asked for cotton they proudly showed her acrylic instead, the factory owners were completely unaware of the damage caused by their materials. This was fashion's reality in the '80s and '90s, long before sustainability became a boardroom buzzword.
Transparency in Italy
By 1995, with almost a decade of experience behind her, Yvonne returned to Italy with a different agenda. Her love for fashion hadn't diminished—it had matured into something more demanding. She refused to participate in a system that regarded principles of ethics as insignificant. In Italy, she found what was lacking in the Far East: transparency built into production chains and fair labour conditions that were standard practice rather than costly extras. From 1998 to 2002, she served as exclusive creative director for Italian fashion brand Indian Rose. Then from 2002 to 2015, she designed and produced her own label entirely in Italy while consulting for Guess, Kenzo, and Benetton.
After decades in the fashion industry, Yvonne has come to realise that exceptional clothing doesn't require toxic shortcuts. It requires designers and manufacturers who are willing to say no. That's what The Blue Suit is built on.
'Wij doen het echt!'
In 2016, Yvonne Vermeulen visited the THNK Executive Leadership Programme in Amsterdam. That is where she connected with Karen Rauschenbach, who shared one clear ambition: creating elevated tailored suits for women in toxic-free organic denim.
Together they secured the Migros Pioneer Fund — a Swiss grant supporting impact entrepreneurs through targeted early-stage funding, backing ideas that are both economically viable and socially relevant, with the belief that the greatest impact can be achieved through commercial scaling.
In 2017, they founded the Blue suit on a single principle: wij doen het echt — we actually do it.
The following year, the first collection showed at Modefabriek Amsterdam. Italian-made, organic cotton, every supplier documented, every material certified. The market responded: less than 1% returns, 40% repeat customers within the first year. Women recognised something they hadn't been offered before — the proof that sustainable and beautiful are not in opposition.
That proof is still the only thing The Blue Suit sells.
The Certification nobody thought possible
By 2022, The Blue Suit achieved Switzerland's first Cradle to Cradle Certified® (C2C) denim collection—the certification that audits material health, product circularity, climate protection, and social fairness throughout the entire manufacturing process. C2C certification is expensive, time-consuming, and requires manufacturers willing to document every chemical, every process, every supplier. Most brands claim they're "working toward" these standards. The Blue Suit proved they're achievable.
Yvonne and Karen founded Circular Clothing Cooperative, sharing assessment tools with other Swiss textile brands—teaching them how to do better. In 2024, Karen transitioned out of operations. She remains involved in Circular Clothing.
From The Blue Suit to Blue Suit Authority
The Blue Suit evolves into Blue Suit Authority with the same principles and Italian tailoring, ready to scale as a more profitable, high-standard sustainable women's collection.
What We Prove Daily
Most sustainable fashion brands are using sustainable fabrics, but they don’t change their supply chain into a full sustainable circle. The Blue suit aims for zero toxins,which means no harmful chemicals at any stage — not in the raw fiber, not in the dyeing, not in the finishing. At our Cradle to Cradle® collection, every step of our production is certified to prove it.
As of today 33% of our items in the collection are full Cradle to Cradle® certified.
Our materials carry a Cradle to Cradle® certification, or a OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, or a GOTS certification — three independent standards that audit different parts of the supply chain. Such as the manufacturer, materials, processing, chemical safety and the finished
garment.
The production process reflects the same logic.
Where conventional denim washing uses up to 50 litres of water per pair of jeans, our Italian atelier uses E-Flow technology to rinse each pair with a single glass. No residual chemicals. Re-use of rinsing water. No contaminated wastewater. A clean supply chain producing clean garments.
Yvonne Vermeulen
Designer & Founder
Yvonne graduated from Vogue Academy Amsterdam and built an international career across Europe and Asia in fashion design, production, and sustainable innovation. With over 30 years of experience, she is dedicated to accelerating the transition toward a circular and toxic-free textile industry. She oversees all design direction and Italian manufacturing partnerships, collaborating exclusively with craftspeople and family-owned manufacturers who share her uncompromising commitment to quality, ethical production, regenerative solutions, and long-term sustainability.
Swan Lian Kwee
Brand & Content Director
Swan and Yvonne met at fashion academy in Amsterdam. Swan went on to spend three decades working as an art director in the USA and at the Netherlands' most prestigious publications — including Vogue and Quote. As Brand & Content Director at The Blue Suit, she builds the brand story around facts and real credentials. Real credentials don't need greenwashing — and neither does The Blue Suit.