Times Four

FUNKY STAFF TIMES FOUR

“Acting is like wishing, but tougher…” is a phrase coined by Funky Staff founder Uwe Bernecker during the pandemic. It certainly applies to his company, or rather his four companies. The entrepreneur and his wife have resolutely seized every opportunity that the past year has presented.

Text: Martina Müllner-Seybold. Photos: Funky Staff

“Do you actually find the time to sleep?” This opening question makes Uwe Bernecker laugh heartily: “I must confess that it has taken quite a hold on me.” After all, the “it” is no longer just Funky Staff’s strong-selling, fast-moving womenswear manufactured in Italy, but now also entails three other companies. “We seized the opportunities that came our way,” says the entrepreneur who, together with his wife Kerstin, has overseen the surprise success of recent years. “Funky Staff is extremely attuned to needs and requirements,” Bernecker argues. A trait that also distinguishes the Frankfurt entrepreneur in all other business activities. During the first lockdown, for example, he took over his financially struggling logistics partner and transformed it into LogFash, a logistics service provider based in the north of Frankfurt that now specialises in fashion and also has perfect command of the fine distribution required by this particular industry. The first external brands have already signed up alongside Bernecker’s own brand. State-of-the-art solutions such as RFID are a matter of course.

THE OPINION LEADERS

Inspired by the activism of the “Wir machen AUF__merksam” campaign, Bernecker founded the FUNKY_NOW advertising agency. The epithet “The Opinion Leaders” is no coincidence. The agency has, after all, managed the most successful Germany-wide campaign concerning store closures within the framework of “Aktion Freundschaftsdienst”. The efforts have since been awarded the German Brand Award in Gold. Be it “Swipe & Find” technology, social media training, or high-reach toilet paper flagship stores, Bernecker has not only made headlines with his network, but also implemented pioneering solutions. The fourth business of the Berneckers is entirely dedicated to the woman who laid the foundation for all other developments with her proficiency in design and production. “Kerstin’s creative potential is far from exhausted. In addition to Funky Staff, we plan to develop our own projects while also offering our creative and production expertise to other brands as a white label provider,” Bernecker explains the principle. “I don’t want to give away too much at this point. Everyone who knows us knows that we’ll keep it exciting.”

Logistics, production, and creative expertise paired with marketing skills and, in Funky Staff, the perfect example of how fashion manufactured in Italy can really capture the current zeitgeist: Uwe Bernecker has established four companies that dovetail perfectly.