What VCR does

VCR GmbH is a privately held Swiss design agency headquartered in Zurich that provides creative direction, apparel design, graphic design, and product design services to sports, outdoor, and lifestyle brands. Founded in 2017 by Philipp Michel and Christian Eisenegger, both veterans with 30+ years of combined experience in the sports market, the firm operates as a boutique professional services outfit with a small core team supplemented by a network of freelance specialists. VCR's client roster is concentrated in the sports apparel vertical — including Burton, Oakley, Colmar, Quiksilver, Kjus, Black Crows, Scott, ON, and Schöffel — and has expanded into adjacent verticals such as cycling apparel, pet products, music accessories, aviation merchandise, and technology brand identity.

The agency's service catalogue spans the full creative lifecycle, from brand strategy and creative direction through apparel collection design, graphic and print work, 3D design, and product development. There is no proprietary technology platform; VCR competes on craft, portfolio, and category expertise rather than tooling. Distribution is B2B-direct, with project commissions sourced through industry reputation, portfolio presentation, and referrals from brand stakeholders. Public marketing channels are limited to a portfolio website and an Instagram presence (@vcr.design), consistent with a referral-driven boutique model.

VCR's revenue model is project-based professional services with custom pricing determined per engagement. The company has raised no external funding, maintains no subsidiaries, and is operated independently by its founders. Geographic reach spans Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France, and the United States, with marquee international clients including US-based Burton and Italian-based Colmar anchoring cross-border execution. Diversification signals include work in non-apparel categories (MiaCara, Ritter Bags, Pilatus Aircraft) and brand identity engagements outside the sports sector (Hazu cloud platform, Jung von Matt x Zweifel).

Name

VCR

Legal name

VCR GmbH

Website

https://vvccrr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VCR is a Zurich-based Swiss design agency providing creative direction, apparel, graphic, and product design services to sports, outdoor, and lifestyle brands including Burton, Oakley, Colmar, Kjus, and ON. Founded in 2017, it operates as a boutique B2B professional services firm.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Design Services: Professional design services including creative direction, apparel design, graphic design, product design, and branding for apparel and sports brands. Revenue generated through project-based engagements with brand clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

VCR is a Swiss B2B design agency providing creative direction, apparel design, graphic design, and product design services for sports, outdoor, and lifestyle brands. The agency delivers projects end-to-end — from initial concept, brand strategy, and trend/color playbook development through collection design, graphic artwork, and final product development — for clients including Burton, Colmar, Oakley, Kjus, Quiksilver, and ON.

Product overview

VCR is a Swiss design agency offering comprehensive creative direction and design services for the apparel and product industry. Their portfolio encompasses Creative Direction (brand strategy, identity, trends, sustainability), Apparel Design (outerwear, ski, cycling, lifestyle collections), Graphic Design (prints, artworks, labels), Product Design (accessories, bags), and Development services (private label, premium merchandise, product innovation). The agency works with major sports brands including Burton, Colmar, Oakley, Kjus, Quiksilver, Black Crows, Schöffel, Scott, and others, providing services from initial concept through final production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Direction Services Strategic creative direction covering brand strategy, brand identity, color, fabric, trend, and sustainability consulting for apparel and product lines. Delivered to sports, outdoor, fashion, and tech brand clients.
• Apparel Design Design of outerwear, midlayer, baselayer, accessories, and snow apparel collections for sports and lifestyle brands. Covers full collection development for men's, women's, and kids lines.
• Graphic Design Graphic design services including allover prints, placed artworks, concept boards, and visual branding elements for apparel, products, and brand identities.
• Product Design Product design services for accessories, bags, and other non-apparel items, taking projects from concept through to final product.
• 3D Design Services Three-dimensional design capabilities for labels, trims, and product visualization offered to apparel and product clients.
• Private Label Development Full private label product development services from initial concept through production for retail brands.
• Premium Merchandise Design and development of premium merchandise collections for brands and corporations.
• Product Innovation Innovation consulting and development services for new product concepts and technological advancements in apparel.

Named customers31 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Jet Set x Drink SexyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025VCR curated and designed the collaboration between JET SET (Swiss luxury fashion founded in St. Moritz 1969) and Drink Sexy (Swiss streetwear/snowboard brand founded 2018 in Laax by pro snowboarder Lucas Baume). The project brought high-end luxury fashion into snowboarding with authentic style and craftsmanship.
• Visitor Surf & Concept StorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership with Visitor surf store in Zurich for concept, design, sourcing and development of apparel collections made from SeaCell fabric, plus wakesurf label concept and graphic design.
• STYLERIGHTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing content partnership developing complete trend books (Sports, Baby, Kids, Men, Women) for STYLERIGHT, working with team of skilled designers to conceptualize and develop all book content for the fashion industry.
• Natalia GianinazziminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative collaboration with designer Natalia Gianinazzi for Namuk summer outdoor and bike collections.
• LAIN and Linda WyssminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtwork collaborations for Scott softgoods projects, working with design studio LAIN and Linda Wyss.
• PandinaviacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Pandinavia and Pilatus Aircraft in-house team for merchandise collection design.
• Jung von MattcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with advertising agency Jung von Matt to develop the Patchd mini collection for Zweifel potato crisps brand targeting gamers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aruliden: Design and innovation agency working with apparel, footwear, and consumer-product brands on creative direction, product design, and brand identity — a closely comparable offering to VCR's apparel/product design practice.
• Pearlfisher: London-based brand design agency with a strong fashion, beauty, and lifestyle apparel client base. Overlaps with VCR on creative direction, brand identity, and graphic design for premium consumer brands.
• Hirsch & Mann: London-based creative design studio focused on sportswear, footwear and lifestyle brands. Comparable in size and category focus to VCR, with a similar project-based model serving premium action-sports and apparel clients.
• Bulletproof: Brand design and packaging agency with apparel and consumer-goods clients. Comparable on creative direction, brand identity, and design-system work for consumer brands.
• Plus Collaboratives: UK-based creative studio working with fashion, lifestyle and sports-adjacent brands on creative direction and brand identity — comparable in scope and client type to VCR.

Broad incumbents

• Lippincott: Global brand strategy and design consultancy serving large consumer brands. Comparable on brand identity and creative direction work, but at significantly larger scale and with broader industry coverage than VCR.
• MetaDesign: International brand design consultancy (part of Publicis) with deep experience in brand identity systems. Comparable on creative-direction and brand-identity services, but serving a broader client base than VCR's sports/outdoor focus.
• Pentagram: Global multi-disciplinary design firm working on brand identity, graphic design, and creative direction across consumer categories. Comparable on creative-direction and graphic-design services, though serving a much wider client base than VCR.
• Designworks (BMW Group): Design consultancy with transportation, lifestyle, and consumer-product clients. Comparable on product and brand design capabilities but at a much larger scale and broader industry footprint than VCR.
• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consultancy with experience in apparel, sports and lifestyle categories. Overlaps with VCR on brand identity and creative direction but operates at significantly larger scale and scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/vcr.design

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VCR