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!'
During her sabbatical in 2016, Karen Rauschenbach signed up for the THNK Executive Leadership Programme in Amsterdam. With a fifteen-year background in managing aerospace operations, she was determined to establish a business making suits for women in eco-friendly denim. The idea had a personal root; her favourite jacket from her own corporate years was exactly that. Through THNK, she connected with Yvonne, and together they secured the Migros Pioneer Fund — one of Switzerland's most rigorous sustainability grants. Yvonne brought what the idea needed: her network of Italian manufacturers, her decades of expertise in materials and fit, and the supply chain she built from the ground up.
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
Every garment we produce is 98-99% organic, completely toxic-free, and for 98-99% microplastic-free. We don't claim sustainability. We prove it through internationally recognised certifications, traceable supply chains from raw material to finished garment, and manufacturing methods that prioritise environmental responsibility and worker dignity.
Not because it's trendy. Because after seeing the alternative, we couldn't do anything else.
(Complete documentation: How We Make It (dit is een link)
Yvonne Vermeulen
Designer & Founder
Yvonne graduated from Vogue Fashion Academy in Amsterdam and worked extensively across Europe and Asia in fashion design and production. She oversees all design direction and Italian manufacturing partnerships, working with craftspeople and family-ownedmanufacturers who share her refusal to compromise.
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.