style in progress 1/2022 – English Edition

Page 241

P o s t- C o n s u m e r i s m

WHAT'S THE STORY

HANDSTICH

“STATIONARY RETAILERS ARE OUR BRAND AMBASSADORS” Instead of making a splash, Hand­ stich primarily focuses on providing products with depth and sophisticated details. This predestines the brand for stationary specialised retailers. Where better to experience the collection than in a store? Interview: Nicoletta Schaper. Photos: Handstich

André Berger perceives Handstich as a brand that creates an instore experience.

A

ndré, why is Handstich, as a special niche product, predestined for owner-managed retail? André Berger, owner of Handstich: Smaller retailers and their staff in particular have great passion for the product, which they are happy to pass on to their customers. We perceive this specifically in our own concept store, which we opened a year ago in Seefeld near our headquarters. The first impression a jacket makes on the hanger is not necessarily decisive. The magic happens when a salesperson invites the customer to try it on. A man in a quilted jacket by Handstich appears to stand taller, with a certain sense of pride. Such a moment can only be created and experienced live in a store, face-to-face with a salesperson. As a brand that is not particularly well-known, we need the salesperson as an ambassador who can explain to customers what Handstich has to offer. What do you offer, for example? Our jackets have always been very carefully conceived, but they have evolved and are now visually more streamlined and relaxed than before. Look and feel are sartorially influenced, although the typical Handstich elements are now more evident in the elaborate interior of the jacket, be it the colour or a colour-contrasting inner pocket. This shows that we have given careful thought to what the wearer really needs. The inside is aligned with the outside: the detailing remains, even in the exciting mix of materials that is now more tonal in terms of colour. We stick to a modern layering look: down continues to take centre stage and is complemented by wool, corduroy, canvas, and cotton gabardine, for example in shirts designed as overshirts and hybrid jacket types featuring hoods and lambskin elements. We also present leggings in leather for women. Suppose I come to your store as a customer. What will I be told about Handstich? What is the story? Let me give you an example. Just the other day, a customer told me that three generations of her family now exclusively wear Handstich jackets, because they enjoy the product immensely and feel so comfortable in it. These moments feed into our story, because Handstich is meant to represent a certain lifestyle as a favourite piece. Handstich is ten years old. What comes next? We feel comfortable in our role as the underdog. Instead of making a splash, we allow the products to speak for

Excellent look and feel created by sophisticated workmanship. Handstich pieces retail at prices between 400 and 800 Euros.

themselves. That remains our core brand message, which is now being promoted by new sales partners such as Markus Kimpfler and Axel Bayer in Bavaria and Marcus Heck of Agentur Wagner in Western and Northern Germany. Both appreciate our product values greatly and understand the essence of the brand. Together we hope to find the right brand ambassadors in the retail sector who will help us share the Handstich story.

Handstich’s own concept store in Seefeld hosts other fashion collections and stocks regional gourmet products. Simultaneously, it serves as an example for soft shop solutions with retail partners.

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Articles inside

Editor's Letter

3min
page 258

Everything Is Energy

1min
page 255

I’ll Take That

1min
page 252

It’s Good To Be a Child

1min
page 254

Marketplace With Happiness Guarantee

1min
page 253

Responsible Innovation

2min
pages 250-251

Perfect Match

1min
pages 248-249

Art, Design, Tailoring

1min
page 245

Two Picture-Perfect Stores

2min
pages 246-247

“Stationary Retailers Are Our Brand Ambassadors”

3min
pages 241-244

“How Green Are We?”

2min
page 235

Passionately Analogue

6min
pages 238-240

“Reduce to the Max”

4min
pages 236-237

“Our Customers Demand a Holistic Experience”

5min
pages 232-234

How to Reintroduce Pleasure to Consumption?

5min
pages 229-231

Disruption in Store Design

11min
pages 218-228

Tailoring With a Modern Twist

2min
pages 215-217

A New Home for Traditional “Tracht”

2min
page 214

Clothing Reflects Feelings and Moods

2min
page 213

“We Remain True to Our Values”

2min
page 210

Dawn of a New Era

2min
page 211

Committed to Heritage

2min
page 212

“The Time Is Right for Our Product”

2min
page 209

“Subverting Norms and Classicism”

5min
pages 206-207

That’s the Spirit

2min
page 208

Time to Shatter the Glass Ceiling?

14min
pages 200-205

“Open-Mindedness and Flexibility”

2min
page 199

Conveying Passion

2min
page 198

“It Is Time for a New Management Culture”

2min
pages 196-197

“We Need To Nurture Talent”

5min
pages 194-195

Unrestricted Creativity

2min
page 193

What Does Optimal Leadership Entail?

4min
pages 190-192

“This Is Couture”

2min
pages 186-189

“This Is Grade A”

2min
page 176

“We Aim To Be Ahead of the Times”

3min
pages 178-179

Off to New Horizons

4min
pages 180-183

“We Have a Finger on the Pulse”

2min
page 177

Full of Character

3min
pages 174-175

“We Invest in the Brand”

2min
page 173

Pioneering Spirit

2min
pages 170-171

Always Honest

2min
page 172

“A Brand Needs to Take a Stand”

2min
pages 168-169

“We Are Looking Forward To Turning 101 and 102”

2min
pages 166-167

Next Level: Made-to-Measure

4min
pages 162-163

How a Collective Brain Works

4min
pages 164-165

The Principle of Play, Fun, and Excitement

9min
pages 152-161

Data for Good

5min
pages 148-151

Al Italoamericano

1min
page 114

Triple Jump Final

5min
pages 144-147

“This Is the First Time That NFTs Have Utility”

10min
pages 138-143

The Rock & Roll of Gen F(ortnite

2min
pages 132-133

“Digital Fashion Is the Fast Fashion of the Future”

9min
pages 134-137

Fashion Cashmere

1min
page 115

“Conquering the Global Accessories Scene”

2min
page 116

Sartorial Street(wear

12min
pages 117-131

Take a Look

1hr
pages 36-99

“The Future Draws From Roots”

1min
page 112

“We Picture the Future of Trousers!”

1min
page 108

“Let Humans Do What Humans Do Best”

13min
pages 100-107

Iconic Boots

1min
page 113

“We Strive to Create Everyone’s Favourite Jeans”

1min
page 110

New Shapes, New Nuances

1min
page 111

Next Level

1min
page 109
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