Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on October 15, 2015.

 

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EXQUISITE, precision watches, banking and the most beautiful ski resorts in the world are the three things that the Swiss are famous for. An iron, on the other hand, isn’t something that comes to mind when one thinks of the high-quality, stylish and timeless things that the Swiss have invented throughout history. If one were to visit Switzerland, however, and mention the word Laurastar, pretty much everyone will understand what you’re referring to — an iron. In fact, Laurastar has become synonymous with the word iron, just like how Pampers and Colgate have become synonymous here with disposable diapers and toothpaste.

Founded 35 years ago, Laurastar is the brainchild of co-founder, Pierre Clement, two brothers-in-law and a friend. The four of them were designing and manufacturing accessories for Italian designer Laura Biagiotti when they realised that there was a real need for the precise care of beautiful yet fragile designer clothing. With the help of inventor Carlo Bertani, who was instrumental in creating the Laurastar ironing system, the unlikely group started a revolution that would soon spread around the European continent.

Visionary Solutions Sdn Bhd director Lim Pei Yan introduced Laurastar to the Malaysian market a decade ago, after she saw the revolutionary ironing system in action during a demonstration session while on vacation in Australia. Impressed by the effectiveness and efficiency of the iron, Lim and her husband decided to approach the founders of Laurastar in Switzerland, who were surprisingly more than happy to sign Lim on as a franchisee.

Lim, who used to work in the IT industry, started off by directly selling Laurastar systems in her spare time. It did very well, to her surprise. “When you have an interesting product that works well, that people need, it becomes an easy thing to sell. Aside from the fact that I really like meeting new people and talking to them, I thought that it’s much simpler to talk to people about something that I believe in, that actually makes their life easier,” said Lim. “Although the price tag for Laurastar products is in the higher range, we believed that people would be willing to invest in them because of how well they work.”

Unlike traditional irons, which pose a burning hazard because of the heating plates that are used, Laurastar employs a superior, cutting-edge technology that bypasses the need to heat the ironing plate directly. Instead, steam is produced from water placed inside a steam generator, which then feeds it through pipes into the iron. It is this hot steam which heats up the plate, and together with a pulse steam system diffused by a series of automatic and short intermittent bursts, ensures optimal steal distribution on all fabrics.

The result is an iron that is safer, doesn’t burn clothes and helps retain the bright colours of fabrics over a longer period of time. Laurastar sells its irons as “systems” instead of stand-alone pieces. These systems consist of an iron, ironing board, water tank and an integrated steam generator. The Laurastar iron, on the other hand, is not just an iron — it’s equipped with a two-speed blower and a vacuum system, both of which are accessible via the simple click of a button.

Besides ironing, the system can also be used to “dry clean” lightly worn clothes such as evening dresses and tuxedos.

“There are a lot of benefits to having a Laurastar. You save money from having to dry clean clothes — instead of sending them out, you can use the iron on lightly worn clothes like coats, freshen them up and they’ll end up smelling like new because of the steam,” Lim explained.

“Visionary Solutions is trying to achieve the goal to distribute highly effective, premium quality products. The highly effective part is a very important point for us, so although it’s a lot of work trying to popularise a product that is difficult to understand, we believe that we are making lives better. We do lots of demonstrations to help the general public understand the efficiency and effectiveness of our products, and most of the time after people see them in action, they realise that the traditional products that they are using at home don’t work as well.”

The company is also the sole distributor of Dyson products in Malaysia — yet another brand whose reputation lies in technological advancements that have improved on age-old household items such as vacuum cleaners and fans.

In addition to cutting-edge technology, Laurastar also focuses on ergonomics and aesthetics — its ironing systems are designed to be as easy to use as possible, yet come in a variety of exciting shapes and colours ranging from pink and yellow to purple and red. The idea is that users can enjoy a technologically superior system, and also purchase one in their favourite colour to personalise the experience.


For information on the Laurastar ironing system, visit www.laurastar.com. For information or inquiries about Visionary Solutions, visit www.visionary.com.my or call (03) 7710 5877.

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