BRAND STORIES

BRAND STORIES — ALBERTO

A STORE FOR THE SENSES

The illuminated back wall at the Alberto concept store. Five years of the Alberto concept store – this year, the trouser specialist from Mönchengladbach in the north-west of Germany is celebrating the anniversary of its only concept store, a creative place that has turned out to be a vital communication tool for the company. We took a glimpse behind the scenes.

TEXT DENIZ TROSDORFF

Since October 2016, trouser lovers have been flocking to a street called Hindenburgstrasse in Mönchengladbach. Showcased behind the futuristic façade of the perfectly designed Alberto concept store are not only the latest products from the trouser aficionado’s creative lab, but also the company’s craftsmanship skills and progressive values – all on an area of 130 m². “We decided to open a store where we could really live and breathe our values and our products. Everyone who works at Alberto has to have spent some time working at the store and experienced that direct contact with our customers, consumers and products. That’s our way of showing our employees what we stand for and what we’re working towards. It provides a huge motivational energy boost, which is channelled back into our products,” explains Marco Lanowy, Alberto’s Managing Director. A positively contagious energy that around 30,000 customers have been able to experience for themselves over the past five years. The atmosphere is defined by a forwardlooking sales philosophy: digital gadgets like Amazon’s Alexa are used inside the store to offer customers an emotional and fun shopping experience and provide them with important information about the products that they have already experienced haptically and visually for themselves. The whole sensory aspect clearly plays a very important role here.

AT THE FOCUS: THE CUSTOMER

We asked Marco Lanowy which moments really stood out for him during the last five years of running the concept store: “For us it’s always exciting to accompany the customer inside the store, from the consultation and them trying on the clothes through to the purchase. It’s also interesting to find out what they thought of our customer service, how often they will come back and whether they felt like they were in good hands with us. It’s like a well-rehearsed play: on the stage it’s the applause; in the store it’s the ringing of the till. If we get to experience that, we’re happy, because that’s what we live for.” And it’s not only the shopping experience that is valuable for the brand, but also the direct communication with the end consumer, as Marco Lanowy reveals: “The direct feedback we get from our customers in the store is worth its weight in gold as it lays the foundations for our future developments. That’s how the ideas for the Bike collection and the Hybrid Sports Pants came about, for example.” Other suggestions from customers have resulted in products being optimised and stock being adapted to demand.

CREATED IN MÖNCHENGLADBACH

And in 2022, Alberto will be celebrating another special occasion: its 100-year anniversary. What better opportunity to look back on a successful and eventful company history and ahead to the future? Are other Alberto stores like the one in Mönchengladbach on the cards? “That kind of expansion isn’t part of our growth strategy,” Lanowy tells us. “We have purposely focused our attention on ‘Created in Mönchengladbach’, a mission statement that we are consciously following for other projects too.” Instead, the company is concentrating fully on its products, which merge the brand’s experience from the past 100 years with modern materials, production techniques and technologies. There’s a reason why its brand claim is ‘Pants we love’, a reminder of just how much passion and care are invested in each collection. “If we are living up to our own standards, what more could we ask for? Ultimately, it all comes down to how transparent and consistent you are in what you do,” summarises Lanowy. And he doesn’t see profit or expansion of his stores as top priorities for the future either. He’s just happy to have created something special with the concept store: “My hope for the future is that we continue to impress, provide inspiration and learn. Expansion potential is certainly there. But potential is also something you can learn from. If we can apply this learning effect with the vision of continuing the team’s achievements for another hundred years, we will have fulfilled everything we set out to do.”

BRAND STORIES — ISKO

ENGINEERED FOR NATURE

Innovations that were developed to preserve and protect the environment are more than mere products for denim manufacturer Isko. The company genuinely feels a responsibility to keep their carbon footprint as small as possible. And with their new R-TWO50+ range, they are moving closer to achieving this goal.

TEXT DENIZ TROSDORFF

R-TWO50+ might sound like a formula from a doctoral thesis, but it’s actually the latest innovation from the creative and research laboratory of denim specialist Isko. As part of Isko’s Responsible Innovation strategy, which covers social responsibility, environmental issues and sustainable denim production, the launch of ‘R-TWO50+ – Engineered for nature’ is a further milestone on their journey to the sustainability of the future. The result is a premium-quality denim fabric that reduces carbon emissions by as much as 45 percent and water usage by as much as 65 percent. To do this, Isko is focusing on its exclusive patented yarn spinning technology, which uses at least 50 percent recycled materials and reduces the need to rely on natural resources. Isko’s innovation not only combines sustainable elements but also retains its shape well and is characterised by a soft cotton feel. It also dries up to 20 percent faster.

LEADING THE WAY TO A GREENER WORLD

As one of the leading denim manufacturers in the world, Isko is very conscious of its pioneering role in the quest for a more sustainable fashion industry, which is why transparency and honesty are a top priority. All Isko products therefore have all the necessary and appropriate certifications for sustainability that cover each step of the process. And the R-TWO50+ fabrics have the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification, which provides standardised verification of the use of recycled materials. The new innovation is also aimed at paving the way for best practices, increasing transparency and accountability, strengthening the entire supply chain and helping brands achieve their sustainability goals. So it’s not surprising that Isko is one of the first in the fashion market to have an ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) score, which measures and rates companies’ corporate sustainability and social impact. This is testament to the company’s efforts to be fully transparent and accountable. “We are extremely proud of R-TWO50+ and the progress we’ve made in opening up a whole new dimension of Responsible Innovation,” explains Ebru Özküçük, Isko’s Head of Sustainability. “Our vision goes beyond just using low-impact materials and extends to Isko’s culture and systems. We believe that in order to make a credible and comprehensive industry roadmap towards sustainability, the carbon footprint must reflect the fact that products are made and processes are carried out responsibly. This is the only way to try and eradicate greenwashing.”

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