Serge Ruffieux launches accessories brand 13 09 SR

Former Carven and Dior designer Serge Ruffieux has unveiled the first collection from his new accessories brand 13 09 SR featuring shoes, sunglasses and hand-embroidered neoprene straps.

13 09 SR, named after Ruffieux’s birthdate and initials, was co-founded with French fashion journalist Émilie Faure, who exited Le Figaro earlier this year, to offer playful and comfortable accessories with a sustainable focus.

The first collection for spring/summer 2022 centres on comfortable hybrid and flat shoes, including slingback, mules, moccasins and slip-on styles with rubber padded studded soles. These sit alongside jewel sunglasses and neoprene straps embroidered with rhinestones.

The brand is also committed to limiting waste and overproduction, opting to use deadstock for materials such as leather, satin, velvet, silks and embellishments used for the shoes and neoprene straps and eco-friendly bioacetate for the eyewear.

In addition, it is keeping its production in Europe to minimise carbon footprint, with the shoes being manufactured in Italy and Romania, while the eyewear is produced in Italy.

Former Carven and Dior designer Serge Ruffieux unveils debut 13 09 SR collection for SS22

The debut shoes for spring/summer 2022 are fun, with a DIY craftsmanship about them, with bows, ribbons and embellishments all being unique and playful due to the hand-tied artisanal process.

Highlights include the ‘Scrunchy’ a leather in-toe sandal featuring an elasticated heel strap in suede calf hand-tied with recycled ribbons, Italian fabric scraps and crystals. While the ‘Dinghy’ is a pointed leather flat mule with a thermo-moulded rubber heel and hand recycled ribbons tie detailing, and the ‘Bingo’ is a cushion mule in leather, satin or velvet, with quilted ties knotted by hand with rhinestones crystals.

Other key looks include the ‘Zodiac,’ a suede and leather cushioned sandal tied with recycled ribbons, deadstock Italian fabrics and crystals, the ‘Puli’ a fringed loafer, and two styles of ‘Medusa’ openwork moccasins, one as a mule, the other as a leather slip-on.

The collection also two genderless jewel sunglasses available in the debut collection that are limited and numbered. The ‘Twinkle’ is adorned with gold and silver rings on the temples, while the ‘Utopia’ offers sporty sunglasses in bioacetate.

There are also hand-embroidered sequinned and beaded neoprene straps in various colourways designed to be worn with the sunglasses.

Commenting on the launch, Ruffieux, said in a statement: “This first collection promotes our values - quality, responsibility, freedom and establishes the brand’s codes by cultivating contrasts. Raw vs. refined, sportswear vs. craftsmanship, natural materials vs. technical materials, upcycling vs. recycling. Trying our best to limit waste, we use a maximum of existing materials such as leather, velvet, neoprene, brocarts and rhinestones.”

13 09 SR shoes retail from 390 to 790 euros, sunglasses from 280 to 435 euros and straps from 190 to 470 euros.

The collection is available for pre-order on the brand’s website, 1309SR.com, until October 25, with delivery expected towards the end of January 2022. The brand will also be available in multi-brand stores from early next year.

Ruffieux previously served as creative director at Carven for three seasons, leaving in November 2018. Prior to joining Carven in 2017, Ruffieux worked for Dior, serving under directions of John Galliano and Raf Simons, rising to head of the Dior ready-to-wear studio, before being named interim artistic director of the Parisian house with fellow Swiss designer Lucie Meier after Simons decided not to renew his contract. Since 2019, Ruffieux has been creative director of a ready-to-wear and accessories brand based in Shanghai.