Designer and entrepreneur: Mrs. Trudi founded her company on solid grounds made of passion, vision and creativity. Fashion and design are intertwined in the creation of soft toys, as the research of textiles and the construction of paper patterns are both important for its final result .

Trudi Müller Patriarca was born in Munich in 1921. In 1948, after attending the Kunstakademie, she moved to Italy in the Friulian town of Tarcento. Nurturing her lifetime passion for needles, threads and pieces of fabrics, she started to make cute little handmade teddy bears. Given the success of her creations, in 1954 she organized a wider production, founding the company that still bears her name. She died in 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"There's some Trudi in each of us".  Gertrud Müller Patriarca

Triennale di Milano, Women in Italian Design (2016-2017), Donne Designer in Friuli Venezia Giulia

Doggy, Trudi, '60s

One of the main characteristics of Trudi's soft toys is their expression: indeed, Gertrud Muller Patriarca not only designed her toys but also brought them to life with some ‘personality’, meaning the ability to communicate emotions at first glance.

Teddy Bears Trudi, 50s

 

Above: These sketches  brought to the creation of Trudi’s first Teddy Bear, which was presented during the '80s at the Teddy Bear Annual Convention at the "American Victorian Museum".

 

 

Rocking horse in tow, 1960

Bunnies, Trudi, 1953

During the 1960s, with the foundation of the factory and participation in international fairs, Trudi was ready for stepping up her game to a global level.

Gertrud Muller Patriarca, Dizionario biografico dei friulani

 

Trudi, Wikipedia

 

A. ROCHIRA, Trudi Müller, talento naturale per i peluche unici al mondo, «Il Piccolo», 19 marzo 2000

 

W. TOMADA, Si è spenta ieri la creatrice di Trudi, i peluche “made in Friuli”, «Il Gazzettino», 19 marzo 2000