Lucerne, 18th December 2018 — VARSY’S, the Luzern-based startup dedicated to promoting Swiss myths, legends & culture around the world, has been honored with the prestigious 2018 GOOD DESIGN AWARD®, one of the world’s oldest and most recognized international design awards. VARSY’S surpassed thousands of applicants from more than 47 countries to win the award for their outstanding design, aesthetics, innovation and enriching value to society.

Winners were selected by an international jury of architects, designers and creative directors from the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design in the United States.

“It’s an incredible honor for our small company to be recognized by one of the world’s leading design prizes” says VARSY’S founder and CEO, Varsy Buchmann. “I hope that this award will help to raise international awareness of all the amazing stories and cultural heritage that Switzerland has to offer.

“The UK has mythical heroes like King Arthur and Robin Hood, but lots of people are just now discovering Switzerland’s own mythical past, like the folk hero William Tell, or the Basilisk monster which terrorized Basel in 1474. These stories should be celebrated and not allowed to fade away. Switzerland has so many stories to tell beyond banks and watches.”

VARSY’S aims to make sharing legends easy and fun, through playful and artistic Swiss gifts. “We focus on storytelling, culture, and craftsmanship,” says VARSY’S partner Nathan Ornick. “We connect the legends with Swiss cities to appeal to locals interested in preserving history and sharing a love for country, as well as tourists interested in taking home a Swiss souvenir with a real story behind it.”

The company takes great pride in craftsmanship, sourcing sustainable woods and paper products, and using child-safe, eco-friendly inks and materials. “To make cultural heritage products, it’s important that we are conscious of our environmental footprint and the world we leave for our children. How we approach the industrial design of materials and packaging is just as important as the artwork and content. Everything at VARSY’S is Swiss-made” adds Buchmann.

VARSY’S launched in January 2018, and is available all over Switzerland in more than 40 shops such as Orell Füssli and Schweizer Heimatwerk, as well as VARSY’S ecommerce shop. Follow VARSY’S on social media at Facebook and Instagram.