ST. MORITZ: For Eveline Fasser Testa, co-founder of LATESTA, the day should have more hours because a woman with so many different talents just needs more time and space. Space at least isn’t the problem, as St. Moritz, “the top of the world”, is wide, spacious and full of light.
We meet at the Quattro Bar on Corviglia on a sunny midday and I feel like a Bond girl when we arrive by ski after hitting some slopes before our meeting. Eveline comes down from Piz Nair where she was filmed by a TV team and I take a break from skiing with some friends.
IRMA: At this time of the day one seldom meets you up on the slopes?
EVELINE FASSER TESTA: Oh, yes, I go skiing from eight in the morning till ten, when the slopes are empty and still crisp. I love it, it gives me so much energy for the rest of the day to come.
IRMA: So what is the plan for today?
E.F.T.: I am the manager of three Swiss biathlon athletes, Selina, Elisa and Aita Gasparin. They are sisters and Selina won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Sochi. I do the marketing and sponsoring for them and I manage all events. It is great fun. We always have something going on so we have to do a lot of organization before.
IRMA: But you have been also busy getting the art world up to the mountains?
E.F.T.: Yes, together with Monty Shadow we created ST. MORITZ ART MASTERS. We had a lot of art happenings in St. Moritz, changing exhibitions but also a permanent collection of international sculptors like Leiko Ikemura, Joel Shapiro, Hubert Kiecol, Not Vital and many others. We organized the art festival and we established a foundation where we invite young artists from all over the world to come up here and create art under the influence of this magnificent nature. I built it up over a period of five years and it is now a strong brand. I recently handed it over to a new management as I move on to new ventures and projects.
IRMA: This is probably also the reason why you returned to St. Moritz after studying and living in Palm Beach and Zürich?
E.F.T.: Yes. When I met my husband it was clear that we both return to our origins. We went to school in St. Moritz, we speak Romansh which as a language belongs to the World Heritage, and we have gained our experience also somewhere else. Now we bring it back up here and the mix between tradition and new ideas is a great reward every day.
IRMA: Is that also the idea behind the home fragrance you have created?
E.F.T.: Yes, I wanted people to take a memory with them back home that reminds them of this fantastic nature every day. That’s why I created that scent together with perfumer Geza Schön. The first fragrance is INVIERN – that means winter in our local language Romansh – and it smells of gentian, juniper, Swiss pine and the pure air from the mountains.
We also wanted to value our roots, the fundamental values this place gives us every day and that’s reflected in our first product. The second fragrance will be ENGADINA – a flowery mountain meadow, available this summer.
IRMA: How can I get my hands on this beautiful idea for a gift or a treat to myself?
E.F.T.: You can order it right away at www.7500stmoritz.ch.
IRMA: Great so I will have a memory from the Engadin all year long. Thank you, Eveline, shall we continue skiing?
E.F.T.: Yes, let’s go!