Company:Laurastar

From HandWiki
Laurastar
TypeS.A.
Industryhome appliance
Headquarters
Châtel-Saint-Denis
,
Switzerland
Key people
Julie Monney, Michaël Monney
Productsclothes irons and steamers
Number of employees
290 (2026)
Websitewww.laurastar.com

Laurastar is a Swiss company, founded in 1980 by Jean Monney and located in Châtel-Saint-Denis. It specializes in high-end ironing systems. The company shifted towards the ironing sector after a key encounter between its founder and an Italian inventor in the 1980s. In 2019, Julie and Michaël Monney, the founder's children, took over the company and modernized its approach, leading to innovations such as the connected steam system Laurastar Smart in 2017 and the steam purifier Laurastar Aura in 2025. The company employs around 290 people.

History

The Laurastar company was founded in 1980.[1] A few years later, it ventured into the ironing sector after the meeting of its founder Jean Monney with an Italian inventor who had developed a vapor pressure iron.[2] In 1993, the company settled in Châtel-Saint-Denis.[3] It was later renamed Laurastar, in tribute to Italian designer Laura Biagiotti, a former collaborator of Jean Monney.[2]

Julie and Michaël Monney, children of the founder, joined the company in 2010, the former as marketing director, the latter as sales director.[4] They focused on bringing the company into the digital sphere, where it was still not very present, while online shopping was gaining an increasing foothold in retail.[5] The high-end positioning of Laurastar encouraged them to maximize customer relationship management by providing updates and regular advice after the purchase.[5] In 2017, the company released Laurastar Smart, a connected steam center with motion sensors, allowing users to receive personalized advice.[5] The data collected transformed the company, which created a business intelligence tool and established a research and development department collaborating with Swiss universities of applied sciences.[5]

It was also in 2017 that the company became interested in the potential benefits of steam for public health.[6] It developed a disinfectant steam technology to combat infectious agents such as bacteria or viruses.[6] In 2019, Jean Monney stepped down from the operational management of Laurastar, after forty years of activity.[3] At that time, Laurastar claimed to have sold three million products in around forty countries and employed 225 employees.[3] Michaël and Julie Monney became co-directors on this occasion.[2] In 2023, Laurastar partnered with Swiss fashion designer Kevin Germanier (fr) to launch a capsule collection made from recycled materials.[7]

Products

Laurastar sells home appliances related to ironing, in a high-end segment.[8] Its main product line, the Laurastar Smart, is a system that includes an iron, a steam generator and a ventilated ironing board.[9] The entire unit is connected to a mobile app offering real-time ironing tips.[10] It also sells portable steam stations under the Lift product line.[11] They are described as suitable for use on a variety of textiles, including delicate fabrics like silk, wool and synthetics.[12]

The company has also been offering since 2024 a range of steamers developed in partnership with the ready-to-wear brand Boss.[13] This range includes the IZZI steam purifier (launched in 2022) and the IGGI steamer (launched in 2020) and features disinfecting properties designed to combat microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria.[14][15][16] Initially designed for the Asian market, whose population is more accustomed to individual public health equipment such as surgical masks or air purifiers, the products were ultimately launched in Europe at the same time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] It was followed in 2025 by AURA, a steam cleaner developed by Lab-L, Laurastar's research and development center, which claims to eliminate almost all bacteria, dust mites and viruses[17].

Laurastar products have received multiple international design awards over the years, including Red Dot Design Awards for the Lift[18], Smart[19], IGGI[20] and Aura[21] models. The IGGI[22] and Aura[23] devices also won iF Product Design Award.

Organization

Laurastar's headquarters are located in Châtel-Saint-Denis, in the canton of Fribourg, but the company manufactures its pressurized steam systems in its factory in Hungary, previously a simple repair center that benefited from significant investment in 2019.[4] The company has subsidiaries in Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary.[3]. Laurastar has received the Swiss Triple Impact certification from B Lab, a designation awarded to companies that meet specific social and environmental standards.[24]

References

  1. ↑ Bloch, Ghislaine (19 April 2018). "Des PME familiales qui ont fait leur transition" (in fr). Le Temps. https://www.letemps.ch/cyber/pme-familiales-ont-transition. Retrieved 3 November 2025. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kolly, Laura (7 October 2024). "Laurastar : Une success story en terre fribourgeoise" (in fr). Frapp. https://frapp.ch/fr/articles/stories/laura-star-chatel-saint-denis. Retrieved 5 November 2025. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Castella, Valentin (19 October 2019). "Une nouvelle génération ambitieuse et déterminée" (in fr). La Gruyère. https://www.lagruyere.ch/articles/une-nouvelle-generation-ambitieuse-et-determinee-1132703. Retrieved 7 November 2025. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Guisan, Thibaud (20 September 2019). "Changement à la direction de Laurastar" (in fr). La Liberté. https://www.laliberte.ch/articles/regions/canton/changement-a-la-direction-de-laurastar-616066. Retrieved 10 November 2025. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Atmani, Mehdi (28 February 2018). "Les PME suisses face au défi numérique" (in fr). PME magazine. https://www.pme.ch/entreprises/2018/02/28/pme-suisses-face-defi-numerique. Retrieved 5 November 2025. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Laurastar, expert de la vapeur au service de la santé : une approche innovante" (in fr). Neomag. 16 October 2023. https://www.neomag.fr/article/10207/laurastar-expert-de-la-vapeur-au-service-de-la-sante-une-approche-innovante. Retrieved 3 November 2025. 
  7. ↑ Dell'Anna Paris, Fabio (28 September 2023). "Dans les coulisses du défilé de Kevin Germanier, Valaisan devenu grand" (in fr). Le Matin. https://www.lematin.ch/story/dans-les-coulisses-du-defile-de-kevin-germanier-valaisan-devenu-grand-283918267978. Retrieved 18 November 2025. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sanchez, Stéphane (6 December 2020). "Mission confirmée pour Laurastar" (in fr). La Liberté. https://www.laliberte.ch/articles/regions/canton/mission-confirmee-pour-laurastar-663053. Retrieved 12 November 2025. 
  9. ↑ Ray, Joe (7 April 2021). "Review: Laurastar Smart U". Wired. https://www.wired.com/review/laurastar-smart-u-iron/. Retrieved 21 November 2025. 
  10. ↑ Clark Thompson, Ashlee (9 September 2016). "This smart iron will cost you more than $1,000". CNET. https://www.cnet.com/reviews/laurastar-smart-preview/. Retrieved 21 November 2025. 
  11. ↑ Keenan, Sandy (5 November 2014). "A Pressing Question". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/06/garden/is-the-laurastar-lift-portable-steam-iron-worth-the-cost.html. Retrieved 21 November 2025. 
  12. ↑ Ray, Joe (5 May 2023). "Review: Laurastar Iggi". Wired. https://www.wired.com/review/laurastar-iggi-clothes-steamer/. Retrieved 12 May 2026. 
  13. ↑ "Ce steamer à l'allure couture ressuscite la qualité de vos vêtements en quelques secondes" (in fr). Elle. 18 December 2024. https://elle.ch/127751/mode/accessoires/laurastar-by-boss-des-steamers-qui-ressuscitent-les-vetements. Retrieved 21 November 2025. 
  14. ↑ Vincent, Chloé (19 March 2021). "Que vaut IGGI, le défroisseur vapeur également purificateur de surfaces ?" (in fr). RTBF. https://www.rtbf.be/article/que-vaut-iggi-le-defroisseur-vapeur-egalement-purificateur-de-surfaces-10722800. Retrieved 12 November 2025. 
  15. ↑ Kronsberg, Matthew (20 March 2024). "This Supercharged Clothes Steamer Is a Dust Mite Terminator" (in en). Bloomberg L.P.. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-20/izzi-plus-steamer-will-gets-wrinkles-out-of-clothing-and-terminate-dust-mites. Retrieved 14 November 2025. 
  16. ↑ "Un défroisseur et purificateur vapeur suisse capable de tuer les punaises de lit ? On a testé" (in fr). RTBF. 22 October 2023. https://www.rtbf.be/article/un-defroisseur-et-purificateur-vapeur-suisse-capable-de-tuer-les-punaises-de-lit-on-a-teste-11274318. Retrieved 21 November 2025. 
  17. ↑ Veillon, Emilie (23 April 2025). "Le nettoyage vapeur, un secteur en plein essor" (in fr). Le Temps. https://www.letemps.ch/societe/le-nettoyage-vapeur-un-secteur-en-plein-essor. Retrieved 14 November 2025. 
  18. ↑ "Ironing System Laurastar Lift". https://www.red-dot.org/project/laurastar-lift-30275. 
  19. ↑ "Professional Steam Ironing System Laurastar Smart". https://www.red-dot.org/project/laurastar-smart-22182-22181. 
  20. ↑ "Handheld Steamer Laurastar Iggi". https://www.red-dot.org/project/laurastar-iggi-45059. 
  21. ↑ "Cleaning Equipment Laurastar Aura". https://www.red-dot.org/project/laurastar-aura-78835. 
  22. ↑ "Laurastar Iggi Handheld steamer". https://ifdesign.com/en/winner-ranking/project/laurastar-iggi/285453. 
  23. ↑ "Laurastar Aura steam purifier". https://ifdesign.com/en/winner-ranking/project/laurastar-aura/713588. 
  24. ↑ "Laurastar SA". 2 September 2025. https://blab-switzerland.ch/company/laurastar-sa/. 



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