Laurastar is a Swiss family-owned company and premium home-appliance brand specializing in ironing systems, steam generators, garment steamers, and fabric-care technologies. Founded in 1980, the company is particularly known for combining professional-style steam technology with home ironing equipment. Its products are positioned at the intersection of Swiss engineering, design, garment care, and hygiene. 1

Laurastar’s best-known technology is Dry Microfine Steam (DMS), a fine, dry steam technology developed by the company’s Swiss engineers. The company uses DMS across products designed for ironing, steaming, refreshing, and purifying fabrics.

Laurastar describes itself as a Swiss family business that has been developing steam systems for more than four decades. The company states its mission is to help consumers “beautify and purify” their clothes and homes.

Origins (1980)

Laurastar’s origins date to 1980, when Swiss entrepreneur Jean Monney encountered an Italian engineer in Milan who had an idea inspired by professional ironing systems. The concept was to combine a professional steam generator and ironing board into a single system, making professional-style steam ironing accessible to consumers at home. The Laurastar name was reportedly chosen as a tribute to Italian fashion designer Laura Biagiotti, with whom Monney had previously worked.

This concept became the foundation of the Laurastar business.

Early Developments (1986–1990s)

After several years of development, Laurastar introduced LAURASTAR PREMIUM in 1986. The company describes it as the world’s first home ironing board incorporating an integrated steam generator. This product established the basic philosophy that continues to characterize Laurastar: combining the ironing board, steam generation, and specialized iron into one integrated system.

During the 1990s, Laurastar began expanding outside Switzerland. Important milestones included:

• 1990: Expansion outside Switzerland and establishment of European distribution.
• 1992: Opening of a production centre in Bioggio, Ticino, Switzerland.
• 1993: Establishment of the company’s worldwide headquarters in Châtel-Saint-Denis, Fribourg.
• 1996: Introduction of the Laurastar Magic, an ironing system incorporating an active ironing board with vacuum and fan functions. 2

According to Laurastar, approximately one million Magic units were sold over ten years, illustrating the success of its integrated ironing-system concept.

Development of Steam Technology

A major stage in Laurastar’s development came in 1999, when the company introduced its first dedicated steam generator, called Steamax. Steamax received design recognition, including a Good Design award, and helped establish Laurastar’s reputation as a design-oriented steam-appliance manufacturer.

The company subsequently continued to move beyond conventional irons toward systems combining:

• Steam generation
• Professional-style irons
• Active ironing boards
• Garment steaming
• Fabric refreshing
• Hygiene and purification

This integrated approach remains central to Laurastar’s product identity.

Modern Innovations

In 2013, Laurastar introduced the Laurastar Lift, a portable steam generator designed to both iron and steam garments. The Lift was significant because it extended Laurastar’s traditional full-size ironing-system concept into a more portable format. The product also received several design awards, including a Red Dot Design Award, a Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum, and the Grand Prix de l’Innovation Design Award at the Foire de Paris.

Laurastar continued its technological development with the Laurastar Smart, introduced in 2017. The company describes Smart as its first connected ironing system. It incorporated a mobile application intended to provide users with guidance and effectively act as an “ironing coach.” The Smart range subsequently received a Red Dot Design Award in 2018.

One of Laurastar’s most important differentiators is its proprietary Dry Microfine Steam, or DMS. DMS is a fine steam technology developed by Laurastar’s engineers in Switzerland. The company positions it as the technological foundation of its current product range, particularly for:

• Removing creases
• Caring for delicate fibres
• Refreshing clothing
• Reducing odours
• Treating fabrics
• Purifying textiles and certain household materials

Laurastar describes DMS as being designed to produce very fine steam that penetrates fabrics while minimizing excess moisture. The company also promotes DMS for hygienic applications. Laurastar states that tests conducted in Switzerland, Japan, and the United States in 2020 showed that its DMS technology could eliminate 99.9% of tested viruses, bacteria, and dust mites under the specified test conditions. These are company-reported test claims rather than a general statement that all uses of steam universally produce the same result.

Today, Laurastar’s product ecosystem can broadly be divided into several categories.

All-in-one Ironing Systems

These are arguably the company’s signature products. A typical Laurastar system combines:

• An active ironing board
• An integrated steam generator
• A specialized professional-style iron
• Laurastar’s DMS steam technology

The active board can incorporate functions such as vacuum and air blowing, helping position and shape garments during ironing. Laurastar claims that its integrated systems can achieve perfect ironing results in roughly half the time compared with conventional approaches.

Portable Steam Generators

The Lift family represents a more portable approach to Laurastar’s technology. These machines can be used both for conventional ironing and vertical steaming.

Garment Steamers

Laurastar expanded beyond traditional ironing systems with portable steamers:

• IGGI (2020): A compact garment steamer using the company’s DMS technology, designed for portable garment care and refreshing. IGGI received both an iF Design Award and a Red Dot Design Award in 2020.
• IZZI (2022): A higher-end steamer designed for clothing as well as certain household fabrics. Laurastar positions IZZI as another application of DMS technology beyond conventional ironing.

Accessories

Laurastar also sells accessories and consumables associated with its ironing systems, including ironing-board covers and other fabric-care components.

Design is an important part of Laurastar’s identity. Rather than competing primarily as a mass-market household-appliance manufacturer, Laurastar has traditionally positioned its products as premium design objects. The company emphasizes ergonomics, aesthetics, and Swiss engineering alongside technical performance.

Its products have received multiple international design awards, including:

• Red Dot Design Awards
• iF Design Awards
• Good Design Awards
• Grand Prix de l’Innovation Design

Laurastar’s own award history includes recognition for Steamup, Steamax, Lift, Smart, and IGGI.

Although Laurastar operates internationally, Swiss identity is central to its brand positioning. The company associates itself with characteristics traditionally linked to Swiss premium manufacturing, such as engineering, precision, reliability, longevity, product design, quality control, and repairability. Its headquarters are in Châtel-Saint-Denis in the canton of Fribourg, while the company has also operated manufacturing and technical facilities in Switzerland and Hungary.

Laurastar remains a family business. Its founder, Jean Monney, established the company in 1980. In 2019, his children Julie Monney and Michael Monney took over the company as co-CEOs, continuing the family’s emphasis on innovation, design, and product quality. This makes Laurastar somewhat unusual in the home-appliance sector, where many major brands belong to large multinational groups.

Another important part of Laurastar’s modern positioning is its opposition to planned obsolescence. The company says that its products are designed to be durable, extensively tested, and repairable. Laurastar states that it aims to provide repairs for its products for at least 10 years. This philosophy is presented as part of the company’s broader environmental strategy: instead of encouraging frequent replacement, Laurastar emphasizes keeping premium appliances in service for longer.

Laurastar has historically positioned itself particularly close to the fashion and clothing-care world. The company’s products have been associated with fashion professionals and events, and Laurastar’s history records a connection with Chanel Haute Couture in 1999. It has also worked with fashion designer Guo Pei and became a partner of the Montreux Jazz Festival, where it provided wardrobe-care services backstage.

The relationship with fashion makes sense strategically: Laurastar’s proposition is not simply “remove wrinkles,” but to preserve the appearance and condition of clothing.

These milestones are based on Laurastar’s published corporate history. 3

1. Laurastar History – A family business since 1980
2. Histoire Laurastar – Une entreprise familiale depuis 1980
3. Laurastar — official company history