Andrea Mächler grew up in Canton Glarus, Switzerland and went to school there until the matura. Curious about the world beyond her small mountain valley from an early age, she developed a love for travel and a serious interest in social and economic affairs, which led her to study of international relations at the University of St. Gallen HSG. She completed her masters degree in international affairs and governance in 2008.
Early in her career, she developed a keen interest for supply chain management and over the last decade she held a number of SCM and IT management positions in the food industry and in machine and plant construction. Frequent business trips and private travels to Asia awakened her interest for the countries of the Eastern world.
She had always hoped to someday start her own business and in early 2020 she came up with the idea for Silkroad Designs. The project would allow her to indulge her passion for the countries of the ancient Silk Road and the beauty of oriental ornamentation. Promoting an awareness in the West for the economic and political situation and the rich cultural legacy of these regions of the world is also very important to her.
Silkroad Designs was created to embody this vision: by building a platform that serves as a gateway to western markets for artists and craftspeople working in these regions.