style in progress 4.14 EN

spring summer 15 # 4.2014

Between Greenwashing and Profitability. Responsibility as a Business Model /// Complicated Life Cycle Assessment. Jochen Zeitz Demands Clear Standards /// Growth Pains. The Risk of Swift Success /// Don’t Be So Pessimistic. Are Purchasing Departments Limiting Creativity?

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"A business deal always involves humans." Heiner Oberrauch

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DEUTSCHLAND ROLF GRIESINGER INTERNATIONALE MODE GMBH | AM KOSTTOR 1 | D-80331 MÜNCHEN | T. +49 89 332244 | OFFICE@GRIESINGER-MODE.DE ÖSTERREICH CCT – COLLECTIONEN CHRISTIAN TEUFL | VIERTHALERSTRASSE 11 | A-5020 SALZBURG | T. +43 662 452832 | OFFICE@TEUFL.CC SCHWEIZ KRAFTSTOFF | SEESTRASSE 885 | CH-8706 MEILEN AM ZÜRICHSEE | T. +41 55 210 69 11 | INFO@KRAFTSTOFF-SUISSE.CH

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004 editorial

About the Courage of Sustainability

Welcome to these lines.

"There is a lot of nonsense surrounding the sustainability topic and there are too many different approaches. I sense quite a bit of intellectual disorder", says Heiner Oberrauch, Stephan Huber’s interview partner for the cover interview (The Longview, from page 034). The serial entrepreneur - his business sphere ranges from the brands Salewa and Dynafit to his own cheese dairy - quickly realised that sustainability is not only an integral part of a company’s philosophy, but also of its balance sheet. The fact that vegetables can sometimes be more satisfying than a great (ecological) balance sheet, is a testament to the freedom of a man who has already accomplished a lot.

This edition attempts to bring some order to the "intellectual disorder” regarding this topic with a special section compiled by our author Ina Köhler (Sustainability, from page 042) and great individual examples with inspiring pioneer work.

The examples include Javier Goyenche’s Ecoalf, which created an impressive fashion collection made of PET bottles, fishing

nets, and coffee grounds (Coffee Grounds with New Life, from page 054), as well as examples from the retail industry, where certain players focus on green and social issues at the point of sale (Think Green, from page 050). We are encouraged by all the brilliant ideas that will help the fashion industry to clear its conscience. Sustainability was also a much discussed topic at the Pitti Immagine Uome and the trade shows in Berlin. This is also reflected in the newest trends (Talking About a Revolution, from page 082).

However, this issue does not only take stock from an ecological point of view. We report on the joys and sorrows of growth (Growth Pains, from page 066) in an article in which Nicoletta Schaper doffs her cap to cherished collections that decided to call it a day before they are forced to close down. We pay respect!

Courage is what characterises those who - even in times like these - believe that human beings still enjoy being seduced and value excellent service. They do not only seduce customers with beautiful new goods - as you can see in our newcomers section (Want It, from page 024) - but also with individuals. Individuals who conjure up fascinating shop windows; our author Petrina Engelke compiled a list of examples from all over the globe (New Focus on Shop Windows, from page 100). However, consumers still want to be seduced by individuals who breathe life into the stores of this world (In Store, from page 100).

Enjoy your read!

Your style in progress team

Cover Photo: Andreas Marini

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MÜNCHEN_MAXIMILIANSTRAßE 27 KEITUM/SYLT_C.-P.-HANSEN-ALLEE 1 SPORTSWEAR COMPANY GERMANY GMBH _ +49 (0)89 35892730 40723 GARMENT DYED CRINKLE REP NY PARKA PADDED WITH GOOSE DOWN IN A LIGHT NYLON REP WITH AN ULTRA-TIGHT WEAVING CONSTRUCTION. THE RESIN COATING OF ITS INNER FACE MAKES IT WIND RESISTANT AND MILDLY WATER RESISTANT. THE FINISHED PIECE HAS THEN BEEN FILLED WITH THE FINEST DOWN, APPOSITELY TREATED TO BEAR THE STRESS OF THE GARMENT DYEING PROCEDURE. DUE TO THE RESIN TREATING OF THE MATERIAL, THE COLOUR PENETRATES UNEVENLY INTO THE MATERIAL, LENDING A CRINKLE ASPECT TO THE SURFACE. THE ADDITION OF A SPECIAL AGENT TO THE DYE FORMULA MAKES THE PIECE ANTI-DROP. ZIP AND SNAP FASTENING. WWW.STONEISLAND.COM

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The Longview 034 "Being an Entrepreneur Means that You Need to Create Added Value" style in progress talks to mountaineering enthusiast Heiner Oberrauch

What's the story

034

SUSTAINABILITY 044 Between Greenwashing and Profitability No longer just a PR story, but a business case - sustainability is becoming profitable 048 Hang On, He’s Just Saving the World Jochen Zeitz on the project of a lifetime, the ecological footprint, and corporate reporting 052 Think Green Ecological fashion without an ecological tinge - encouraging examples from the retail industry 055 "The Time Was Ripe" Bernhard Adelsberger on Kastner & Öhler’s new sales area named Fair 056 Coffee Grounds with New Life Want to bet Javier Goyenche doesn’t take PET bottles to deposit machines? He turns them into fashion 058 Can You Improve Nature?

Super Natural wants to prove it’s possible – with clever easy-to-wear merino and high-tech fashion

044

060 Delicatessen and Fashion Why only fashion? How pesto and perfume can increase customer frequency 064 Don’t be so pessimistic!

Audacious buying is the big issue of the shoe retailing industry 068 Growth Pains The long and difficult road from success to financial success 072 Women + Technology Traditional brand Wrangler has found its (new) positioning 073 On Track for Becoming a Brand Aysen Bitzer-Bourak is turning a retail darling into an international brand 074 Chris the Builder A trained carpenter is the solid base for Chris Sports 076 From Handkerchiefs to Lingerie Empire Gale Epstein’s "Made in USA" lingerie makes women (and men) happy

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077 Rejuvenating Treatment Private label shirts simply weren’t enough – Carlo Zanuso created Pomandère

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The Talk 078

078 "Curating Makes it Sound Like your Work is More Meaningful" Project No. 8’s Elizabeth Beer and Brian Janusiak on their store between fashion and art

Fashion 082 Talking about a revolution The season’s trends 088 Form Follows Function Sneakers to couture and sailing jackets in the city – performance wear as everyday fashion 092 Out Now

in store 100 Visual Marketing New Focus on Shop Windows 088

105 "A Monitor in a Shop Window is not a Digital Campaign" dfrost’s Christoph Stelzer develops visionary visual marketing ideas 106 All Good Things Come in Threes Trias/Pfäffikon 108 Beautiful Eppendorf Conrad Hasselbach/Hamburg 110 The Paris-Tokyo-Brooklyn Connection Kinfolk Store/New York 112 Shopping with Zoo View Bikini Berlin Concept Mall/Berlin 114 Viennese Shopping Landmark Reloaded Steffl Department Store/Vienna

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STANDARDS 004 EDITORIAL 010 RIGHT NOW 024 WANT IT 116 EDITOR'S LETTER /about us

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Marc O’Polo

Uma Thurman Follows Her Nature

“Follow your nature” is a campaign that Marc O’Polo launched three years ago; it has now been given a new face with Uma Thurman for the autumn/winter 2014 season. The Golden Globe winner has joined Oscar winner Jeff Bridges, who was the perfect embodiment of the slogan right from the start. The slogan has not only been given more depth by her character, laid-back attitude, and diversity, but also by the fact that Uma Thurman and the label share German/Swedish roots. Like her fellow actor, Thurman was instantly thrilled by the naturalness of the collection. After the shooting with star photographer Mario Sorrenti she said: “This is what I wear myself in everyday life.” The official launch of the new campaign is scheduled for early August. www.marc-o-polo.com

From August onwards Uma Thurman will be the new face of Marc O’Polo’s “Follow your nature” campaign.

Zoe Karssen

It Gets Even Better

Now that’s news! Zoe Karssen is lowering its prices. Honestly, this isn’t a joke. The cool brand from Amsterdam only recently announced that the pre-spring 2015 denim collection will be made available at a significantly reduced price. The company headquarters says that the move is aimed at bringing the denim range into line with the rest of the collection. In addition, Zoe Karssen feels the need to respond to the strong competition.

The denim line has so far seamlessly blended into the rock & roll image of the overall brand, which mainly built its reputation on exceptional t-shirts.

The driving force behind the label is a truly dedicated woman. Zoe Karssen has been designing four collections per year with the assistance of Quince Karssen since 2010 and she even photographs her own look books. Today, Zoe Karssen’s fashion is available in 27 countries at 500 points of sale, which quite a splendid position to be in. And the new denim prices (purchase prices between 105 and 120 Euros) will certainly lead to the addition of a few more hot spots. www.zoekarssen.com Less is more - Zoe Karssen reduces the prices of its denim range.

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Mönchen­gladbach-based Alberto launches a women’s collection.

Alberto

Precision Landing

Two seasons ago, the Alberto trousers range for women started off on Fashionsisters.de. It must have been quite a success, because Alberto has decided to launch its first official women’s collection for the spring/summer season. It consists of three fits and five styles, whereby the main focus is on jeans clean or coloured, destroyed and bleached. Slim Fit describes narrow drainpipe jeans, while Regular Slim Fit forms the core of Alberto Woman’s collection.

Comfort Fit can be seen as an answer to the common boyfriend style. The brand also offers models made of Ceramica, a material that has already proven its worth in the men’s collection. The latter include piping and French pockets for around the office or as chinos.

There are also trousers with floral prints, Jacquard patterns in camouflage look, and woven denim dots.

The retail prices for Alberto Woman items range from 89 to 139 Euros. www.alberto-pants.com

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Lombardini Group

A Present for Europe

Atos Lombardini started his fashion line under his own name in 1986. The collection was always produced near the company headquarters in the Bologna area; Lombardini is proud of its spotless “Made in Italy” record. While the distinguished businessman sold his collection in Russia and China, the company experienced its real boost with the entry of two powerful women: Atos Lombardini’s own daughters. First the “padrone” handed the Atos Lombardini brand to Alessandra and made her responsible for the design department before passing on Violet, the younger line within Lombardini Group, to his younger daughter Elena, who was mainly responsible for communication and distribution since the early 90s. The two sisters triggered a surge in sales and started expanding into vast European markets such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, and finally Germany. The fashion agency d-tails.de, run by Patrick CoppolecchiaReinertz, is thrilled to be the chosen distributor for the Cruise Collection Summer 2015 in Germany. The aforementioned Cruise Collection is a tribute to the American 50s. It consists of items with trapezoidal cuts, college tops, and sweaters, but also includes more current elements such as destroyed jeans and military style items such as parkas. The simple collection and the recently announced customer-friendly delivery dates should ensure that nothing stops the expansionism of the Lombardini women. By the way, mother Silvana is the chief financial officer of the group. www.atoslombardini.com

The elegance and clear design of the Windsor Shoes Collection is the perfect addition to the classic-modern Windsor range.

Windsor Shoes

Co-Operation with Unützer & Ludwig Reiter

The premium fashion brand Windsor continues its co-operation with the renowned Munich-based shoe brand Unützer and the traditional Viennese shoe manufacturer Ludwig Reiter in the spring/summer 2015 season. The collaboration for the Windsor Shoes Collection started in the autumn/winter 2014 season. The result is an exclusive shoe collection for Windsor consisting of Chelsea boots, pumps, and ankle boots for women, which are manufactured

by Unützer. It also offers full brogues, desert boots, Derby laces, golfers, Chelsea boots, and Jodhpur boots for men, which are manufactured by Ludwig Reiter. The collection will make its debut in Windsor stores and in the online shop (for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) in August 2014. windsor.de

Pre-collection - Atos Lombardini welcomes the summer of 2015 with a modern retro look.

Functional claim and love of nature: Peak Performance has developed a new interior design.

Peak Performance

Holistic Storytelling

The Scandinavian active wear label Peak Performance has completely revamped its retail concept. “We want to create brand experiences and make the entire world of Peak Performance emotionally accessible”, says Mark Singrin, the head of visual merchandising at Peak Performance. The materials are subtly stained wood, stone, and metal. For example, iron rods and rolls are inspired by ski gondolas, reminiscent of the brand’s origins as a ski clothing supplier based in the Swedish mountain village Are. The store furniture was produced using a laser cut method, which led to less waste and more sustainability. Where possible, the furniture elements are interlocked rather than glued or screwed. This means that the POS system can be easily dismantled and can be used in a flagship store, shop-in-shop concepts, and exhibition stands. The brand headquartered in Stockholm will supply selected stores with a new urban sports wear collection for the autumn/winter 2015 season. Peak Performance has customers in 25 countries all over the world; it also operates 40 stores and more than 150 shop-in-shop concepts in Scandinavia, as well as 25 stores in the German-speaking markets. www.peakperformance.com

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Husky

Man’s Best Friend

The characteristic quilted jacket by Husky, with its distinctive diamond quilting, has become a real design classic. It is now part of many collections, but it was originally - according to the history of the Husky brand - an invention made by Steve and Edna Guylas in 1965. The label returns to the German market for the spring/summer 2015 season and has chosen the Hamburg-based agency Wiedbrauk as its representative. In a return to the origins of the brand, which enjoyed royal attention because the British royal family liked wearing quilted jackets on their hunting trips, the current owner of Husky, namely Saverio Moschillo, issued a capsule collection in 2012, in which he endowed the original model with an authentic print, hangtag, and neck label from 1965. The new summer collection now presents design protected models for women, children, and men in eight colours and four styles each. In total, the brand offers 40 styles for men, 30 for women, and 30 for children. The purchase prices range from 100 to 160 Euros. www.wiedbrauk-agentur.de

A classic of the jacket segment returns: the quilted jacket

by Husky.

Smart business look - Fabio Borelli, Philipp Kronen (Igedo), and Patrick Coppolecchia-Reinartz.

Borelli

Forza Expansione!

Fabio Borelli is clearly in expansion mode. The company opened a flagship store in Tokyo last year, which was followed up by stores in Forte di Marmi and Capri. Only recently, a 150 square metre shop in Via della vecchia Vigna, one of Florence’s prime locations, was added to the mix and will soon be joined by stores in Shanghai and St. Petersburg. The traditional Neapolitan fashion house was founded in 1957 by Luigi Borelli. However, the history of the Borelli dynasty dates back to 1904, when a certain Anna Borelli was trained in the traditional Italian art of sewing. Borelli focuses on the “new gentleman” and offers shirts, trousers, jackets, ties, pullovers, jeans, and even perfume under that name. By the way, Borelli produces 13,000 tailor-made shirts at Giampolo in Bari and is therefore the largest bespoke shirt manufacturer worldwide. The company offers three shirt types: the purchase price for a shirt with four hand passages stands at 85 Euros, while a shirt with eight hand passages weighs in at 125 Euros. Finally, the purchase price for a completely hand-sewn shirt is 180 Euros. Borelli always has approximately 190 fabrics in stock, which can be viewed in the made-to-measure books. It will never take more than 15 working days before the desired shirt is delivered. Additionally, Fabio Borelli has only just bought another studio with 12 tailors. Orders are flying in left, right, and centre, especially as high-class tailor-made suits are now available from 650 Euros onwards! Borelli managed to secure the fashion agency D-tails Coppolecchia Reinartz GmbH with offices Munich, Zurich, and Düsseldorf as distributor for the German, Austrian, and Swiss markets. www.d-tails.de

GGDB by K.Jacques Saint Tropez

Special Co-Branding

Timeless leather sandals

by GGDB by K. Jacques Saint Tropez - the highend result of a successful collaboration.

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GGDB and K. Jacques Saint Tropez are two labels that can look back on a long friendship and also express common values in a truly creative manner. This summer, this has led to an exclusive collaboration. The result is a range of timeless leather sandals, of which some are adorned with special details such as brass foot rims. The colours of the models include gold combined with black, muted grey, and classic cornflower blue. The latter is also used in the form of a handwritten signature as a catchy brand recognition element. The sandals by GGDB by K. Jacques Saint Tropez offer comfort and style any time of the day. The models are available at the official store FLAG/MI in Milan, in the GGDB online shop, and in the stores of K. Jacques Saint Tropez. www.goldengoosedeluxebrand.com, www. kjacques.fr

Literary Walk Eskimo

distributed by WP

Sundance Jacket

Paolo Ventura for WoolrichArt shop on line woolrich.eu

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AG Adriano Goldschmied

Collaboration with Alexa Chung

Bread & Butter

Müller's World Tour

At the trade show for selected brands, no season passes without headlines. Karl-Heinz Müller, the managing director of the trade fair, wants to return to Barcelona with his event as soon as January next year. Additionally, Müller intends to stage the Bread & Butter significantly earlier, to ensure it will be the first international trade show of the season. Thus, the next Bread & Butter in Barcelona will take place from the 8th to the 10th of January, which is from Thursday to Saturday. The Bread & Butter will stay at home in Berlin in summer 2015 and will be staged as early as possible. The motto of the new campaign is “Always The Sun”.

In addition, there are plans for a Bread & Butter trade show in the South Korean capital Seoul from the 3rd to the 5th of September 2015. Prior to the screening of the World Cup semi-final between Brazil and Germany, Bread & Butter president Karl-Heinz Müller announced his plans for 2015 in front of a large audience in the Lunapark: “The Bread & Butter in Barcelona will be the international season opener for the fashion industry. There is a desire for real change in the air. We have secured approximately 100,000 square metres at the historic exhibition centre Fira Barcelona on Placa d’Espanya for the exhibitors. The exact date for the summer trade show in Berlin will be announced in due course. Seoul is a very young city. It is progressive, hungry, independent, and ‘Streetlife’ is a real force there. Furthermore, Seoul really wants us!

However, one city is still missing for the real ‘Grand Slam’ and we will take yet another direction now: the American continent awaits.” www.breadandbutter.com

“Alexa Chung for AG” is the limited jeans collection by Adriano Goldschmied which was born out of a collaboration with the fashion-conscious Brit and will be available in selected stores in summer 2015. Vintage-look overalls, t-shirts, jeans, and denim dresses - the 20 items mirror Chung’s sense for cool fashion. This cooperation is a continuation of the long list of successful collaborations by AG with the likes of stylist Cher Coulter, the menswear label Travis Mathew, and the textile studio Liberty Art Fabrics. “It took a long time to select the new co-operation partner for AG. We wanted someone with a unique sense of fashion and strong opinions to inject fresh ideas into the denim world”, says Sam Ku, the creative director of AG. Alexa Chung is a fashion icon and role model; she is excited by AG as a company and now has been given the chance to design clothing that she has been looking for in vain. www.agjeans.com

“Alexa Chung for AG” is the summer 2015 addition to a long list of successful collaborations.

CCT Collectionen Christian Teufl

A Heart for Sustainability

Social commitment, fair production conditions, and ecological conscience - the increased awareness of consumers demands fashion collections that show responsibility. Christian Teufl, the owner of the fashion agency CCT Collectionen Christian Teufl, is sure that this is the case. One example is FTC Cashmere, a company that actively promotes a fair trade philosophy. Jasmin Ebner, the responsible sales manager, supports this commitment with heart and soul. With the current order season, Jasmin Ebner also takes charge of SeeMe, a brand that is renowned for its high-end jewellery and social commitment.

SeeMe, which received an award from the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO), also supports victims of domestic violence. SeeMe trains these women and employs them, mainly because they often have difficulties surviving on the open job market. Every SeeMe heart is a unique piece made of recycled materials and symbolises shelter, protection, and a long-term perspective on the way to an independent and violencefree life. Thus, the company from Amsterdam daringly attempts to bridge the gap between luxury and fair trade. This social commitment receives prominent backing by none other than Karl Lagerfeld, for whom SeeMe designed an exclusive key-piece. www.teufl.cc

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SeeMe is a new addition to the portfolio of CCT Collectionen Christian Teufl. The jewellery brand supports victims of domestic violence.

www.minimum.dk @minimum_fashion

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Catwalk Junkie and Kultivate offer elaborately designed and printed shirts.

Fashion Factory by Mark Grütters/ Panorama Europe

Set for Growth

In the fourth year of the strategic partnership between the distribution agency Fashion Factory by Mark Grütters and Panorama Europe Distribution, the course is still set for growth. “The summer classics Espadrij l’originale and Rivieras are performing splendidly. In particular Espadrij l’originale has defended its market position due to solid brand development in combination with strong PR and distribution efforts. As soon as the sun comes out, the customers ask for the original. Due to an extensive service factor regarding NOS, additional deliveries, and product range refreshment the brand is becoming more and more popular”, Panorama Europe’s Felix Staudinger says.

This summer, Espadrij l’originale offers new colours for all ten models.

The brand portfolio remains unchanged. The agency rented additional premises in the immediate vicinity of the “old fashion school” to expand the showroom, warehouse, and administration.

Labels: American College, Bailey of Hollywood, Espadrij l’originale, Grundens, La Botte Gardiane, Menil, Orcival, Rivieras, Schott NYC Fashion Factory by Mark Grütters, Düsseldorf/Germany, contact@ffbymg.com, www.ffbymg.com Panorama Europe GmbH, Düsseldorf/Germany, mail@panorama-europe.eu, www.panorama-europe.eu The Espadrij l’originale model “Classic” is now available in 38 colours.

Anke Burkhardt

Even More Italianità

Colorful Trade

Fast Rhythms

As the distributor of the labels Catwalk Junkie and Kultivate, Colorful Trade successfully showcased the respective product ranges for the first time at this summer’s Bread & Butter trade fair in Berlin. The Catwalk Junkie collection consists of approximately 30 to 40 items and offers eight delivery dates. The retail prices for t-shirts and tank tops with slogans or all-over prints range between 39 and 49 Euros, while floor-length single jersey dresses weigh in at between 49 and 59 Euros. Autumn sweatshirts cost between 69 and 89 Euros. The delivery dates and retail prices for the men’s t-shirts and sweatshirts by Kultivate are the same.

The labels are already stocked by more than 150 customers such as Garhammer, Engelhorn, Balz, Wörhl, Reichmann, and Face in Frankfurt/Main, as well as available online at About You and Frontline.

During the order period, visitors can view a forecast of the September/October programme, as well as the items available for the January/February delivery date. Susanne Benz, located in Salzburg, is the distributor for the Austrian market.

Labels: Anonyme Designers, Bleifrei Lifewear, Catwalk Junkie, Kultivate, Met Jeans, Red Soul, Silvian Heach Colorful Trade GmbH, Munich & Laudenbach/Germany, colors@colorfultrade.de, www.colorfultrade.de

Anke Burkhardt has agreed to take over the distribution of the Antonio Marras collection in Germany and Austria from the summer 2015 range onwards. The Sardinian Antonio Marras is one of the most renowned fashion designers in Italy, but always ensures that there is not too much fuss about his person. However, his personality, love for the country, culture, and arts is mirrored in his collections. For Anke Burkhardt, who doesn’t have a showroom in her North German hometown Pahlen near Heide and therefore selectively books trade show slots in Düsseldorf and Munich, the new brand is the perfect addition to her small - yet exquisite - portfolio. Apart from the German jewellery designer Stephanie Schneider, that portfolio consists of renowned Italian labels. Antje Burkhardt also managed to persuade Antonio Marras to supply a selection of items for the order days in her Düsseldorf-based showroom in the Sky Office (25th to 30th of July 2014), which is an exception that the reclusive designer usually doesn’t grant.

Labels: 17 Stephanie Schneider, Giles, Lamberto Losani, Mantù, Walter Voulaz, Zilla Agentur Anke Burkhardt, Pahlen/Germany, Circolo Marras is the showroom of Italian designer Antonia Marras. Anke Burkhardt can info@ankeburkhardt.de, www.ankeburkhardt.de now introduce his colourful world to her customers in Germany and Austria.

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German Distribution by BEN AND GmbH 路 +49 89 323 080 46 路 www.sandcopenhagen.com

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Ben And

Striking Arguments

The Munich-based fashion agency Ben And is defined by stability and long-term partnerships. One of the classics in the company’s portfolio is Frye Boots, a range from which nearly all shoe models can be permanently re-ordered. Loveday Jeans has developed well too and is now listed at retailers such as Jades, Abseits, Different Fashion, and Pool.

Dstrezzed is a new addition to the Ben And portfolio. “For me it is a collection with a lot of striking arguments”, says agency owner Ben Botas. “The collection is close to the market with great - and often elaborately finished - quality. It convinces with its value for money and a calculation factor of 3.2.”

The agency has also improved itself in terms of staff. It now employs four sales experts in Düsseldorf and seven in Munich. In addition, the agency spun off the companies Brand Beast GmbH for Loveday Jeans and Brand Builder GmbH for Cervolante before moving to a separate office in Munich’s Schwabing district. Ben And displays its portfolio in showrooms in Munich and Düsseldorf in the Kaiserwerther Strasse 135.

Labels: Cervolante, Dstrezzed, Frye Boots, Franklin & Marshall, GAS, Goosecraft, Loveday Jeans, Mason’s, Sand Copenhagen BEN AND GmbH, Munich/Germany, agency@ben-and.com, www.ben-and.com Dstrezzed offers top quality with a calculation factor of 3.2.

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Pinko from Italy - price-sensitive with Pronto experience.

Aco Modeagentur Deutschland

Affair of the

Heart

“Alongside well-known brands such as Just Cavalli, Versace Collection, and Iceberg we particularly focus on newcomers and price-sensitive brands with high potential and Pronto experience such as Pinko, Ki6 Who are you?, and Manila Grace”, agency CEO Michael Schulz explains.

A major project for Aco is the German re-launch of Trussardi which entails the three collections Trussardi, Tru Trussardi, and Trussardi Jeans. “We’re good at dusting off a classic brand”, Michael Schulz says. “This particular family-owned company is close to our heart, especially as we believe in its enormous potential.” The newcomers at Aco include Peace by VSP, a young leather range designed by VSP Vespucci Paris. Doralice positions itself as a pure flash collection by Antress. Another new addition to the portfolio is the men’s collection DAAD Dantone, which is a collaboration of the renowned multi-brand store Dantone in Milan and Japan-based Shiffon Group. “It’s a trendy and democratic collection with fantastic value for money”, Michael Schulz states. “In addition, the pre-order collection will be made available at the same time as the flash programme for the winter.”

Labels: 2nd Day, AnneClaire, Day Birger et Mikkelsen, Dsquared Underwear, Doralice, Egò, Frankie Morello, Geospirit, Iceberg, Just Cavalli, Ki6 Who are you?, Manila Grace, Moschino Underwear, Oh! By Kopenhagen Fur, Paolo Pecora, Parosh, Peace by VSP, Pinko, Pirelli P Zero, Roberto Cavalli, Trussardi Jeans, Tru Trussardi, Trussardi, Versace Collection, Who*s Who, Yves Salomon Homme Aco Modeagentur, Düsseldorf/Germany, info@ acomode.de, www.acomode.de

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Vestitus

Contact via iPhone App

Peter Haertel, the chief executive of the fashion agency Vestitus, has introduced an iPhone app to facilitate cooperation with customers in Germany and Austria. In Germany he is currently the only one to have taken such a step. The main focus is on swift contact and easy communication between buyers and the agency’s employees; the current trade show data for the 2015/16 winter season has also already been updated. The agency does not plan to expand its brand portfolio this season. Just last season, the restructuring of Fedeli and Finamore was discussed and Vestitus continues to contribute to these processes during the first summer season. The collection of Antonelli Firenze is also developing continuously and managed to persuade more than 50 customers in its third season.

“One hundred percent service, punctuality, and swift replies are our cornerstones for successful collaborations. We grow with the brands that show innovation and reliability”, Peter Haertel explains.

Direct Labels: Alberto Biani, Antonelli Firenze, communication made possible Case Factory, Fedeli, Finamore, Henry by the Vestitus Beguelin, Herno, Jacob Cohen, Lardini, iPhone app.

Olivieri, Orian, Santoni Vestitus GmbH, Düsseldorf, Munich/Germany, service@vestitus.eu, www.vestitus.eu

THE FIRST COMFY COUTURE LABEL BOULEzAR.COM

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Aco Modeagentur Österreich

Italophile

“Service is the central element of Aco Modeagentur”, says agency owner Rudolf Kail. “Especially in times like these, we support the exchange of goods and our customers’ promotional activities.”

A new addition to the portfolio is the Frankie Morello collection, which was re-launched under licensee FFM SpA. It offers a lot of sex appeal for women and sportive fashion for men. The Allegri outdoor collection for men focuses on the typical Italian contemporary look and produces exclusively in Italy. In addition, the Atos Lombardini collection complements the Italian fashion range of Aco Modeagentur.

The sportswear brand Adenauer & Co has already opened ten stores in Germany and now wants to enter the Austrian market in the same manner. Napapijri is also part of Aco Modeagentur’s sportswear portfolio and is currently expanding in Austria and Eastern Europe via mono-brand stores. Yet another stalwart of the agency is Steffen Schraut. “The collection has made it into the best shops”, Rudolf Kail explains. In autumn 2013, the studio at Oberpollinger was opened and six more areas are planned.

Labels: Adenauer&Co, Allegri, Anneclaire, Atos Lombardidni, Elisabetta Franchi, Etoile du Monde, Fame on You, Vip Flapp Flap, Frankie Morello, G.A.S. Jeans, Geospirit, Giorgio, Herzensangelegenheit, Iceberg, Just Cavalli, Kanga, Ki6? Who are you?, Maliparmi, Manila Grace, Pinko, Q1, Riani, Rossoforte, Steffen Schraut, Trussardi Jeans, Tru Trussardi, Versace Collection, Versace Immagine, Versace Jeans, Who*s Who ACO Modeagentur, Salzburg and Vienna/Austria, info@acomode.at, www.acomode.at

Mala & Mad has extended its collection with bags and shirts with Streetart motifs

Goodstuff Fashion Company

Streetart for Charity

From this season onwards, the team headed by Silvano Rose represents the Spanish label The Hip Tee in Germany and Austria. Dorothy Blue offers women’s shirts from Los Angeles, which are, for example, decorated with gemstones or rivets. The purchase prices for shirts range from 17.90 to 24.90 Euros, while the prices for long-sleeves/sweatshirts range from 28.50 to 34.90 Euros. The calculation factor stands at 2.8. The label S.O.S. Jeans by Pasquale Orza supplies trousers made in Italy with purchase prices between 49.90 and 74.90 Euros. Immediately available in Germany are French-made leggings made of super-soft faux leather in numerous colours, looks, and cuts by Janice&Jo at purchase prices ranging from 49.90 to 59.90 Euros. The own label Mala & Mad, which is renowned for its shawls and scarves, has launched 20 new summer models made of modal/silk and modal/cashmere at prices between 37 and 59 Euros. The collection now also includes unique hand-sprayed bags (65 Euros purchase price) and a velvety anthracite-coloured skinny pant (70 Euros purchase price), as well as high-end blouses, sweatshirts, and shirts (30 to 60 Euros purchase price) with street-art motifs. Ten percent of the sales are handed on to the charity project “Streetart for Streetkids”.

Labels: Dorothy Blue, Janice&Jo, Mala & Mad, Michael Stars, S.O.S. Jeans by Pasquale Orza, The Hip Tee Goodstuff Fashion Company GmbH, Nuremberg/Germany, silvano@goodstuff-fashion.de, www.goodstuff-fashion.de

agen cies

Freemountain

Triple New

On the path to success - Steffen Schraut is part of Aco Modeagentur’s portfolio.

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The Salzburg-based distribution agency Freemountain has proven once again that it has an excellent nose for promising brands. The three brands Les Garçons Faciles, Pànchic, and Momoé now enrich the already diverse client portfolio of Andreas Schmied and Irmi Haider. Les Garçons Faciles specialises in natural cotton shirts reminiscent of the 60s and 70s. Pànchic stands for Les Garçons Faciles, Panchic, and Momoé timeless sneakers, purist design, three new brands for the Freemountain portfolio. and global responsibility. And the women’s knitwear collection of Momoé gets a completely new identity through its individual interpretation of trends.

The three labels have enormous potential for success and are sensible additions to the existing Freemountain portfolio, which includes the likes of Add, Bloom, Gwynedds, Handstich, and Sophie.

Labels: Add, Bloom, Deyk, Georg Maier, Gwynedds, Handstich, Icke Berlin, Inverni, Ivi Collection, Les Garçons Faciles, Luisa Brini, Made in Heaven, Mason’s, Momoé, Pànchic, Sophie Freemountain, Salzburg/Österreich, office@freemountain.at, www.freemountain.at

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024

want it No.1 Como

Chaser

Down Without Geese Michael Boveleth’s brand Blonde No. 8 has a highly successful jacket and parka range on the market.

However, the ongoing discussions about the real down fillings made the fashion professional think.

Seeing that he has a long-standing partnership with Italian thermal insulation specialist Thermore, it was only logical to approach the company regarding an alternative to down fillings. The result is a product with an ultra-soft touch for which no geese have to shed their feathers. The especially designed jacket and vest range is named Como No. 1; it consists of eight jackets for women and five for men. Every style is available in fourteen colours and the customers can choose between a real down filling or the new synthetic filling. The latter is aptly named “Dream the down” which basically means that the customer should imagine that it is a real down filling. Michael Boveleth loves the blind test. When he presents both variants to customers, they tend to perceive the synthetic down as the softer and more pleasant option. It’s a dream come true for the geese of this world! The label will showcase its product range at the Premium trade show in Berlin from the 8th to the 10th of July.

Blonde No. 8 GmbH, Bonn/Germany, T 0049.228.62908666, office@blondeno8.com, www.no1como.com

No.1 Como

Chaser

Casual Modernity The Los Angeles-based women’s fashion label is renowned for its contemporary t-shirts. There are countless prints and patterns to choose from; the options include classic vintage logos, music themes, slogans, and all-over prints, as well as floral and animal-related patterns. The cuts range from sporty long-sleeved shirt and tank tops in the trendy jersey look to feminine shirts with wide back or axle cut-outs. By the way, Hadi Salem, the chief executive of Chaser, is married to Bernese actress, writer, and director Yangzom Brauen, who is best known for her role in the TV series “Der letzte Bulle” and films such as Who Killed Johnny and Æon Flux. Her first book, titled “Eisenvogel, Three Women in Tibet The History of my Family”, was published

by Heyne Verlag in 2009. Richard Oberstein’s agency CP Fashion is the distributor of Chaser in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, as well as the Benelux countries.

The retail prices for t-shirts range from 69 to 89 Euros, while sweatshirts cost less than 100 Euros. A fashion line consisting of shorts, trousers, maxi dresses, and trouser suits completes the collection. Chaser will showcase its products at the Premium trade show in Berlin.

CP Fashion GmbH, 79713 Bad Säckingen/ Germany, T 0049.7763.927706-0, info@cpfashion.de, www.cpfashion.de

divided into two separate fashion lines.

One is a young and non-engineered range with sartorial details such as AMF stitching and full-length cuff links, the other a classic range with two torso sizes. From the spring/summer 2015 season onwards, the brand will debut women’s blazers made of stretch materials. The retail prices range from 199 to 279 Euros. The overall calculation factor stands between 2.75 and 2.8.

Brecos, Carinaro/Italy, T 0039.081.8133392, brecos@brecos.it, www.brecos.itl

Brecos

Old Friends It’s a comeback under new circumstances!

The brand Brecos originally made a name for itself with high-quality leather jackets in the 80s, but then had to close its production lines for financial reasons in the 90s. This season the brand celebrates its revival together with the fashion agency Hinterhofagentur, its representative on the German market. However, this time around there is no leather involved. According to Hinterhofagentur’s Dominik Meuer, the collection’s most compelling features are the extensive repeat order possibilities during an ongoing season via an in-house warehouse and the attractive price-performance ratio. The retail prices range from 199 to 279 Euros for jackets and 349 to 399 Euros for suits. The new Brecos collection is

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Brecos

WANT iT 025

The Tiger Jay

Close Hauled Tiger Jay does not only offer innovative men’s fashion and footwear, but also highly technical sailing clothing.

For the spring/summer 2015 season, the brand has decided to launch a debut “one-off” limited capsule collection, which will only be available at the most renowned retailers worldwide. This premium menswear line is inspired by the intense research for the reconstruction of an historic racing yacht from the 30s - the Tiger Jay J-Class Yacht, to be precise.

The J-Class refers to a boat classification for large keel yachts. These yachts were used for America’s Cup regattas between the years 1930 and 1937. Ten years ago, it was thought that there were only ten such boats left, until an eleventh appeared a while back. In the summer of 2015, the Tiger Jay label will once more proudly hoist the sails of the boat with the number J-11.

The collection consists of classic menswear items which are made of high-tech materials that are usually used for professional sailing purposes. Each item reflects the grandeur of these old ships, as well as the modern and technical standards that were also paramount during the reconstruction of the yacht itself. The Tiger Jay “one-off” capsule collection consists of the lines Crew Only (technical sailing clothing), Black Sails (contemporary menswear items produced in accordance with innovative manufacturing processes from the sailing industry), J-Classics (eleven cult classics inspired by nautical designs), and Tiger Jay Footwear.

Tiger Jay Apparel BV, Wormerveer/The Netherlands, T 0031.75.646.7569, info@tigerjay.com, www.tigerjay.coml

Volks Rock’n’Roller by Andreas Gabalier

Volks Rock’n’Roller by Andreas Gabalier

Traditional Clothing meets Rockabilly Meindl pulled off a real coup with the collection for Andreas Gabalier. The folk rock’n roller is extremely successful in the German-speaking region. Ever since the VOX hit TV production “Sing my song”, the young Styrian has also become a true media phenomenon. Markus Meindl is especially thrilled that this cooperation is not a classic sponsorship deal, but a collaboration that has grown naturally. “Andreas has been wearing our lederhosen right from the start; he believes the look and philosophy of Meindl are convincing. Despite excellent other offers, he was desperate to create his own fashion line with us.” Therefore it is only natural that Gabalier does not only lend his name to the collection, but is also closely involved in the development process.

The collection - which was presented for the first time last winter - breathes the authentic spirit of the “Original Alpine Rock Culture”. The focus of the compact collection for men and women is on high-end lederhosen and leather jackets. It is complemented by a selection of shirts, tops, and accessories. Fittingly, Michi Klemera has been tasked with the selective distribution of Volks Rock’n Roller.

Following the successful launch in winter, Klemera wants to expand purposefully this season.

Volks Rock’n Roller by Andreas Gabalier, Kirchanschöring/Germany, T 0039.335.217170, Michi Klemera, michi@luistrenker.com

Tiger Jay

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026 WANT iT

Superpants

The retail price is 400 Euros for dresses, 200 Euros for trousers, and 250 Euros for blouses.

The calculation factor is 2.6.

Kazai Design Scandinavia AS, Oslo/Norway, T 0047.22556055, heidi@kazaidesign.com, www.rachelzoe.com

C.P. Twentynine

Cashmere Newcomer from Hamburg

Superpants

Hot Off the Press The concept of washed chino trousers has become a bestseller in the retail industry and thus opens up unforeseen innovation possibilities. The Italian Superpants trousers collection picked up this thread and wove it into a fashionable trousers collection for men and women with witty, partly geometrical, and eye-catching prints, thereby giving the classic chinos a completely new look. In its

very first season Superpants managed to win over Italian customers such as Playground in Florence and Bonvincini in Montecatini. In the upcoming spring/ summer 2015 season, Dominik Meuer’s Munich-based fashion agency Hinterhofagentur is the brand’s representative in Germany and introduces yet another innovation: printed Superpants sweatpants. The chinos, Bermudas, sweatpants, and shorts are delivered in a witty round cardboard box that has already proven itself as an eye-catcher in the stores. The retail prices range from 79 to 99 Euros.

Twelve Distribution, Livorno/Italy, T 0039.0586.421232, info@twelvedistribution.it, www.superpants.it

C.P. Twentynine is the first own label of Hamburg-based company Cashmere Products. It was successfully launched under the management of Kai-Martin Muhle with a collection for the spring/ summer season of 2014. Supplying fashionable cashmere styles at affordable prices is a convincing concept. Even the very first collection was ordered by no less than 130 renowned stores such as Lodenfrey Munich and Jades Düsseldorf. The products are also available online at Conleys. The purchase prices of C.P. Twentynine range from 11.10 Euros to 55.50 Euros for accessories, from 59.90 Euros to 104.90 Euros for women’s and men’s outerwear, and from 118.50 Euros to 449 Euros for leather models. The calculation factor stands at 3.0. From sweaters to cardigans, from blouses to hats and scarves - the two collections per year are characterised by high quality and colour variety. Alongside pure cashmere items, the high-end product range of C.P. Twentynine is complemented by stretch silk and sweat-wear goods.

C.P. Twentynine, Hamburg/Germany, T 0049 40 38038460, info@cp-twentynine.com, www.cp-twentynine.coml

Rachel Zoe

Vintage, Luxury, and Glamour

Rachel Zoe

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Rachel Zoe felt at home in the world of fashion and art from a very young age.

In 2011, she decided that it’s time for an own collection and launched her Contemporary Line, which was complemented with jewellery and shoes in 2012. “Rachel Zoe is one of the top celebrity stylists in the US”, says Agentur MAB’s Regis Benabou. “Her collection has become stronger every season; now is the right time for us to start distributing it in the German-speaking countries.”

The style is characterised by Rachel Zoe’s passion for vintage, luxury, and glamour. The designer draws inspiration from old movies, art, books, and the music of the 60s and 70s. “I’m trying to combine classics with modernity for the trend-conscious woman of today”, says Rachel Zoe, who works with 20 employees in New York and has another 30-strong team in Los Angeles. She currently supplies 170 points of sale around the globe such as Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdales. Every collection consists of 100 to 150 items.

C.P. Twentynine

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Novae Plus Paris

Temptation from Paradise Novae Plus Paris is defined by attractive fragrances and fashionable flacons.

Now Dieter Ebling, a former distribution specialist at Replay, Phard, and Rockstars & Angels, wants to conquer the fashion market. "I am convinced that a fragrance can work in a fashion store", Ebling says.

"We have already received a lot of positive feedback from retailers who see a clear benefit in differentiating themselves from their competition by expanding their product range." The fragrance "Sweet Amour" in its apple-shaped flacon with Swarovski crystals resembles the temptation in paradise, while "Sunny Garden" celebrates the renaissance of romanticism.

"Miss Caty Cat" in its cat-shaped flacon is truly extravagant, while "Les Poupées" in its doll-shaped flacon is clearly inspired by the Far East. The purchase price for 50 millilitres stands at 25.50 Euros; the retail price is 49.90 Euros. In addition to the fragrances the company based in Erlensee also offers shelves and fragrance cabinets for presentation purposes.

Emporium GmbH, Erlensee/Germany, T 0049.6184.932300, info@emporiumgmbh.de, www.emporiumgmbh.de

Melissa Odabash

Fer

Fer

For Urban Superheroes Designer Fernando Moncho Lobo describes his collection for this year as a range of jackets with neo-classical cuts and

Novae Plus Paris

unexpected details. “The Urban Superhero” is the theme of his rather headstrong clothing items. The collection is different, supernatural, and original.

In order to round off the range harmoniously, Fer’s jacket collection for men is complemented with a selection of t-shirts and accessories. “Rechargeable Power Cape”, “Zipperhero”, and “Mile High Propellers” - every model has its own individual character and addresses current trends such as pastel colours and camouflage. Fer products are showcased at trade shows such as the Premium in Berlin and the Pitti Uomo in Florence, as well as in the London-based showroom. In addition, the label is available in numerous US stores and can be purchased via the online shop.

Fernando Moncho Lobo, London/England, T 0044.207.2251774, fernando@moncholobo.com, www.moncholobo.com/fer

Melissa Odabash

Extra Sporty Melissa Odabash launched its first beachwear collection in 1999 and has since established itself as a major player in the beachwear industry. The label is renowned for its playful and feminine bikinis and 414 style in progress

swimsuits, but has decided to latch on to current trends with an additional luxurious sport collection for the upcoming season.

Different colours and patterns, athletic aesthetics, and zippers - designer and name giver Melissa Odabash remains true to the clean and minimalist style of her main collection. The label’s retail prices range from 58 to 530 Euros. The collection will be available in exclusive German boutiques and premium fashion houses from October onwards. Furthermore, Melissa Odabash items can also be purchased via international online shops.

During the Mode-City show in Paris, Melissa Odabash did not only showcase her newest range, but was also named as the “Beachwear Designer of the Year”.

The collection can be viewed in the showroom in Düsseldorf and during a presentation at the Hilton Hotel in Munich towards the end of July.

Melissa Odabash Designs, New Jersey/ USA, T. 001 201 5039444, wholesaleUSA@odabash.com, www.odabash.coml

W W W . 0 0 3 9 I T A LY - S H O P. C O M

CONTACT +49.711.220 23 80

030 WANT iT

PortenierRoth

Switcher

Just Want It

Wood’d

Knock on Wood In the late 1950s, grandfather Aschieri founded Algia Sas, a company that produces wooden toothpicks, in Arconate (Mi). His son Claudio then decided to expand and started to produce all sorts of wooden household items; all products were manufactured in the workshop at the family home. The third generation has come up with a truly brilliant idea. Since 2012, Claudio’s sons, namely Stefano and Andrea Aschieri, have been producing covers, slip-ons, and even decorative accessories for iPhones, other smart phones, and tablets. Naturally they also only use wood. The brothers have clearly defined roles within the company. Andrea is responsible for design, production, and sales, while Stefano handles market communication, the web presence, and all social media activities. The wood specialists have honed their skills to an extent that now allows inlay work on the slip-ons, which are – by the way – the covers that you can simply click onto the back of your smart phone. The brothers recently added accessories such as bracelets and money clips made of a wood/brass combination to their product range.

Wood’d by Algia Sas di Claudio Aschieri & C., Arconate/Italy, T 0039.0331.461902, info@woodd.it, www.woodd.it

Switcher

414 style in progress

Less is more. That’s the belief of Robin Cornelius, the founder of Switcher. The Swiss entrepreneur started working on a sustainable textile brand as early as 1981, for which he was named businessman of the year in 2005. The restless boss, who retired from the operational business a few years ago to devote more time to strategic issues, is adamant that Switcher is not merely a brand, but a promise that needs to be reiterated again and again. The activities with which he wants to implement his dream of a better world are countless. The base for all of it is his Switcher Foundation, which has independently realised Switcher projects for the benefit of society all over the world for the last ten years.

Switcher’s core competences are t-shirts, sweaters, sweatpants, fleeces, and soft-shell jackets. Numerous points of sale in Switzerland, as well as a few in Germany and even in Kuwait, offer the seasonally independent fashion collection. Corporate clothing is also a major contributor to the business; one can order fashion in own CI colours from an order volume of 300 items upwards. Screen prints are made in Switzerland and this particular division generates an order volume of approximately 20 million Swiss Francs every year. Robin Cornelius wrote a rather emotional book in which he describes the inner workings of his ethical company. It proves that sustainability is feasible.

The retail prices for t-shirts start from 6.90 Swiss Francs, 29 Swiss Francs for polo shirts and sweatpants, 49 Swiss Francs for sweatshirts, 39 Swiss Francs for fleeces, and 189 Swiss Francs for soft-shell jackets. The book (ISBN 978-3-03763-034-1, Wörterseh Verlag, 24.90 Swiss Francs) is also available in e-book format.

Switcher SA, Le Mont-surLausanne/Switzerland, T 0041.21.641.4141, info@switcher.com, www.switcher.com

Sabine Portenier and Evelyne Roth are graduates of the Institute of Fashion Design Basel HGK FHNW. They started designing their own fashion range in 2009, focusing on regional know-how and – where possible – producing locally in Thun or in cooperation with selected production facilities. Every year they develop a collection concept entailing two independent collections with different focal points. The “Croisière” runs the whole year, while the others are split into summer and winter ranges. PortenierRoth emphasise their desire for sustainability in the current winter collection, which was developed in collaboration with the Ethical Fashion Project and is made of materials from Burkina Faso. The hand-made textiles are combined with silk chiffon, satin, leather, and knitted elements. For all their earth focus, PortenierRoth want to avoid slipping into the realm of the typical ethno look. Their dresses, skirts, trousers, tops, coats, and jackets are more urban in style; they are almost geometrically structured, yet still casual. The pieces will be showcased at mode suisse in October and in the mode suisse section at the Prêt à Porter in Paris (23/09 to 01/10). The purchase prices range from 70 Euros to 700 Euros, whereby the price level depends on whether the item in question is mass-produced or a unique hand-made piece.

PortenierRoth GmbH, Thun/Switzerland, T 0041.33.221.8503, portenierroth@laboutiquevolante.com, www.laboutiquevolante.coml © Simon Habegger

Wood’d

A Two-Part Collection Concept

PortenierRoth

FASHION WEEK DÜSSELDORF 26.07. – 29.07.2014 | Cinque Showroom | Düsseldorf | GDS 30.07. – 01.08.2014 | Cinque Showroom | Düsseldorf | ILM 06.09. – 08.09.2014 CINQUE MODA GMBH | +49 (0)2161 9653 | info@cinque.de | cinque.de | CINQUE SHOES | pluslinks GmbH | +49 (0)2161 308510 | info@pluslinks.de CINQUE BAGS | Roberto Design International GmbH | +49 (0)6751 93500 | info@roberto-design.com

© Simon Habegger

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Looming Arts

Art to Go

Kazu Huggler

Looming Arts is all about international art that can be worn and touched. Founder Daniela Herneth is a gallery manager, curator, trend scout, and designer. Her previous jobs include jobs such as a marketer at Salzburg’s Museum for Modern Art and a position at Deutsche Bank Art, which is the largest corporate art collection worldwide. Her cloth collection includes large-format art prints (140x140 and 100x180) made of pure silk. The items are produced in the same Italian production plants that serve renowned fashion labels such as Missoni and Versace. The retail price stands at 290 Euros.

The motifs are taken from contemporary photography by the likes of Dave Robertson, Frank Ellis from Cape Town, and Philip Metz from Berlin and Ghana. The photographs are printed onto the limited edition silk cloths. The website offers portraits of and video interviews with the artists, the history behind the photographs, and how-to-wear instructions for the wearable works of art, as well as news from Vienna, Cape Town, and New York.

Looming Arts, Vienna/Austria, T 0043.699.142.11.142, daniela.h@loomingarts.com, www.loomingarts.com

Looming Arts

Acqua Alpes

Mountain Freshness

Kazu Huggler

The Beauty of Mixed Culture Why is Kazu Huggler one of Switzerland’s most creative designers? It could be due to her degree from the renowned Saint Martin’s College, or the one from Zurich’s Design Academy.

Maybe it can be attributed to the time she spent with Vivienne Westwood. Or maybe it’s her Swiss and Japanese DNA? Whatever: Kazu Huggler specialises in fashion that is influenced

by Japanese culture without forgetting to incorporate European styles. She has always recycled kimonos into fine dresses alongside her collections and made-to-measure products made of own fabrics with exclusive designs.

To this end, she travels to Japan to collect the most gorgeous unique kimonos whenever she finds the time. After the devastating tsunami of 2011, she started a relief project in Tohoku with the unwavering support of Swiss sewing machine manufacturer Bernina (www.threecraneassociation.com). Her current autumn/winter collection for 2014 is very feminine with a clear colour definition. The retail prices start at 600 Swiss Francs.

Kazu Huggler GmbH, Zurich/Switzerland, T 0041.43.268-0575, info@kazuhuggler.com, www.kazuhuggler.com

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"We were hiking in the Tyrolean Alps. During a break we looked at the lush flowery meadows and were enchanted by the overwhelming fragrance of the Alpine flowers. In the midst of the meadow was a stream with emerald green glacier water.

We spontaneously decided to capture the scent of the Alps in a perfume", say pharmacist Lara Balacco, Daniel Deutsch, and his brother Benjamin while remembering the birth of Acqua Alpes. In September last year, the Tyrolean perfume manufacturer launched the new fragrance with a hint of citrus composed with mandarin, basil, and lemon. Four months later the company offered a complete perfume collection consisting of eau de parfum, eau de toilette, a room scent, and refreshment tissues. The special feature of the fragrance is the use of natural handpicked scent essences. The perfume is strictly limited, which has already persuaded fashion retailers such as Hofinger in St. Johann in Tyrol, Fink's Woman in Innsbruck, and Gschwantler & Scarano in Kitzbühel.

Acqua Alpes GmbH, Inzing/ Austria, T 0043.5238.80110, info@acquaalpes.com, www.acquaalpes.coml

Acqua Alpes

Modern businessman with old school values - Heiner Oberrauch is passionate about his ideas.

414 style in progress

THE LONGVIEW 035

"Being an Entrepreneur Means that You Need to Create Added Value" Salewa, Oberrauch Zitt, Lodenwelt, a farm, a cheese dairy… Heiner Oberrauch is the definition of an entrepreneur. He is someone who tackles problems head on and sets examples. He also has an excellent nose for changes and shifts. Maybe the mountains sharpened his senses. That’s where he has been drawn to whenever he needs to clear his head since he was a child. While speaking to style in progress, he explains why he prefers to speak of responsibility rather than sustainability, why the specialised retail trade needs to be more self-confident, and why success always requires a clear positioning.

Interview: Stephan Huber.

Text: Isabel Faiss.

Photos: Chris Rogl, Oberalp Group, Oskar da Ritz

Mr Oberrauch, does your day really only have 24 hours? How can you fit in everything you do?

It works out fine. There are two sides to my nature. One side is entrepreneurial, the other artistic. That’s why I’m always curious. But I can let go and I walk away once something has been achieved. To be fair, it can happen that others are asked to clean up after me. That also has an advantage as every tree casts a shadow. It wouldn’t be good if I was always there to intervene.

I am not a workaholic; I go on holiday for six weeks every year and I’m in the mountains twice a week. That enables me to take a step back and see things from a different angle. If you stand close to a huge mountain, it looks infinitely large. But if you move back, it looks considerably smaller. Or maybe one can even spot a cable car on the other side. It is one of my life principles to always see things in a positive light. I say this because there is the risk of wasting time on the negatives, which costs a tremendous amount of energy.

My brother and I were merely 21 and 19 years old when our father enabled us to open our own sports shop. He sent us his two best salespeople and then allowed us to do our own thing. The

experience of how positive trust can be influenced my entrepreneurial career significantly.

Your entrepreneurial biography is so extensive that one fails to come up with clear classification… I guess that suits you just fine. What describes you better? Are you a part-time farmer or a chef in training?

(laughs) I am a generalist. I cannot do anything particularly well or particularly badly. I’m good at judging personalities; my antennas that enable me to identify the current zeitgeist work just fine. Especially in the fashion industry one always questions whether a trend prevails or not. I do seem to have a nose for what pulls through and what doesn’t.

It’s a bit of a game for me - both regarding the main business of the brands Salewa and Dynafit, as well as that of the fashion retail industry with Oberrauch Zitt. You always need to try something new while cooking.

It’s crucial to remain grounded.

I need to be outside a lot. I need to be in the garden for at least a quarter of an hour per day to remain grounded. When I’m in the garden and see the vegetables grow, then that can sometimes give me more satisfaction than a great balance sheet.

During the last Ispo in Munich, I noticed - not least at the

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036 THE LONGVIEW

"We produce technical products, but we sell a desire."

new luxury is not gold and glamour, but space. Nature offers that space, as well as the time and leisure to do something in a relaxed manner and to actually enjoy it too. One can enjoy health and physical balance instead of the turbo treatment offered by fitness studios.

Did you anticipate this development when you took over Salewa in 1990?

Salewa stand - that the transformation of many sports and outdoor brands into lifestyle brands is well advanced. How do you explain the fact that the penetration of all areas of life is so attractive from an economical point of view? Salewa also does good business with people who would like to share the lifestyle despite the fact they’d never consider a mountain tour in real life.

You’re quite right. Although we produce technical products, we sell the longing for freedom and friendship in the mountains.

Where does this longing come from? Today, we are online for 24 hours and it is necessary to be offline for a while. The return to nature is a basic desire in our hectic world. That’s why the entire outdoor industry has become so interesting again. The second aspect is that technical materials are comfortable and have many advantages. The customers can sense this and seek them out.

However, that alone would not be enough. As a brand, you need to communicate and reflect the lifestyle. In these uncertain times provoked by the world economy, human beings want to retreat into the romanticism of nature.

That’s another vital factor. The 414 style in progress

That’s an interesting question.

My passion for mountaineering was naturally the main reason behind my decision to buy Salewa. Mountains are my teachers; there is a very deep connection.

Additionally, the brand had a complicated ownership structure and didn’t have a modern management in some departments.

I just thought it wouldn’t be too difficult to do a better job. The third aspect was the question of where the market is actually heading. That’s when my brain kicked in and I saw the potential that mountaineering and nature experiences in general could become more important in the future.

Today, this lifestyle world attracts a lot of business in urban areas. If you stroll through cities such as New York and Berlin, you see many people wearing outdoor brands or a look that resembles these brands in everyday life. Does that affect the strategic alignment of Salewa? Does it, for instance, have an effect on the new logo?

It doesn’t really have an influence, no. Even when the market was growing we made it clear that we are a mountaineering brand, not merely an outdoor brand. The first step is to reach your core target group and work for them. That’s what we prefer to do anyway because we are close to that group. Of course we know that we cannot live off the extreme mountaineers alone; they only contribute approximately 10 percent to our annual turnover. However, our experience tells us that success is more permanent if you are more passionate and pointed when serving your key target group.

So the aim is to position the brand at the top of the performance segment?

Yes, it is. We will invest heavily in technical outerwear over

the next few years. On the one hand we do that out of passion for regularly introducing new products, on the other hand out of the rational consideration that technical products give a brand like Salewa a better image positioning. At the same time, functionality limits our leeway in regards to being fashionable.

We always have to be careful not to become comparable. In addition, the functionality has to be competently communicated by the retailers. That is a huge challenge for the sales staff, especially in our business segment.

Many sportswear customers are almost prophets who try out and compare things. Every detail is important in that respect.

Does the issue of sustainability also play a role for these customers?

Yes, it plays a very central role.

But let’s call it corporate responsibility.

How do you define that for yourself?

It’s an integral part of our family philosophy. We do not only invest parts of our profits in the community and good causes, but also 10 percent of our own personal time. Our family has had this approach for many generations. Whenever I do something, I ask myself what makes sense.

It makes sense and gives pleasure to see children play in our inhouse kindergarten and to have a positive ecological footprint due to the fact that our roof produces more electricity than we need. It makes sense to have our office surrounded by a park,

"Whenever I do something, I ask myself what makes sense."

where employees - not only our own - can rest in the shade of the trees during their midday break. It makes sense to supply employees with a fitness studio.

With one of the most attractive indoor climbing venues in Italy we want to give something back to the mountaineers who keep our business alive. Our employees naturally don’t have to pay an entrance fee.

So taking corporate responsibility is ultimately something you do for yourself?

That’s right. But it is only credible and can only create positive feedback if you do it with genuine passion. Our Lodenwelt is the best example for that. When my father handed me the Oberrauch shops 15 years ago, I had to ask myself what I - as the fifth generation - can do with this loden business to express a genuine passion for the material and continue with the tradition. The result was the Lodenwelt concept which we introduced in 2000.

Of course the project was also driven by the entrepreneurial ego to do a particularly excellent job.

However, it was implemented without a business plan and out of a genuine passion for loden.

Today, it is our best business.

So why is sustainability so slow to affect direct consumer behaviour? Are the consumers ignorant?

We even opened a fashion store that focused exclusively on sustainable fashion, but closed it again in the end. The market probably wasn’t ready for this yet. There is no clear orientation for the consumers. There is a lot of nonsense out there and there are too many different approaches to this topic. Some place an emphasis on the human element and fair production conditions, while others focus on the environmental angle. I sense quite a bit of intellectual disorder.

When it comes to sustainability, I’ve always resisted focusing on merely one of these subareas; for me responsibility is something that pervades all areas. That’s why we compile a sustainability report. Every manager does not only have to produce results, but also show what he is doing concerning sustainability. We are a management-run family business in which the family takes care of the corporate culture and brand.

038 THE LONGVIEW

"When a product is used for five years instead of one, then that reduces the use of resources."

However, the family has no problems with leaving strategic decisions to the management.

Sustainability, on the other hand, has to be a family issue because it is a matter of corporate culture.

When a product is used for five years instead of one, then that reduces the use of resources.

That has an 80% impact on a sustainability record. An environmentally friendly and energy saving production process is the remaining 20% of a positive sustainability effect.

Your roots lie in the specialised retail trade. What’s your response to those who said that the classic owner-managed specialised retailers are a thing of the past?

The opposite is the case. A business deal always involves humans. The best example for this is the catering industry. That industry stopped remunerating its personnel a couple of years 414 style in progress

ago, thus employing cheap labour and neglecting service.

That happened for a while and had bad effects, but then the tide turned. Today, a waiter in a South Tyrolean restaurant is a real personality with a very good wage. He is valued again now.

After all, he advises the guests and acts as an entertainer on the highest level. That works.

Translated into the specialised trade industry that means that the market participants need to select a niche and serve it in-depth in order to remain irreplaceable. That is the way to do it. Being an entrepreneur means that you need to create added value, as well as attaching value to individuals and assets.

I believe in personal advice and proximity to customers; I think that will always prevail.

The overall environment for specialised retailers has changed massively due to fac-

tors such as vertical integration and online trading. How does this affect your stores?

Our Salewa brand runs 15 own stores and operates 120 branches as franchise companies around the globe, which means I live in both worlds. It has become easier in the fashion sector after some competitors disappeared. That is due to the same development as described before regarding the catering industry; the stores tried to save money on the back of the staff and soon felt the effects. Shopping is not only about clothing yourself. It is just as important to feel understood and to be taken seriously; it’s a massage for the soul, so to speak.

The specialised retail trade, which knows its customers better than any other market competitor, can provide this experience, which serves one of the basic human needs. But for that we need real personalities in the

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040 THE LONGVIEW

stores, because that can only be achieved via human resources.

For this reason we need to pay our people well and give them an appropriate social value. The customers are willing to pay the price that this service costs. I am absolutely convinced that there is no need to start a price war. I would always prefer to go to a restaurant with great service and feel comfortable, even if I do need to pay five percent more.

Why should this approach not work in the specialised retail industry as well? Five percent would be a huge margin for a retailer.

Do specialised retailers necessarily need an online store in the future?

One thing is clear: sales floors are no longer as valuable as they used to be. If it’s a specifically designed area or theme world where I can feel the passion that has been put into it, then that’s a different story altogether. But there are definitely too many

non-specifically designed sales floors. A product is available 24 hours a day online, which wasn’t the case in the past. That’s why I think one does need an online presence. We are still in the infancy stage in this respect and we are still making mistakes, but we still need the online business because multi-channel is the future. But there is no reason for stationary retailers to be discouraged. I rather believe there will be no separation at all in the future. Online may be a technical form of selling goods a technical tool like a credit card.

But the retailer’s values remain the same, which means that online and offline work the same way in principle. I often mention this particular example to my staff: my great-great grandfather ran an excellent business.

He was a stagecoach driver and noticed that a lot of beautiful fabrics entered the country via Vienna, which is why he started a wholesale company. He

Oberrauch Zitt in Bolzano - Heiner Oberrauch believes in the strengths of the specialised retail industry.

travelled to Vienna on a regular basis for a week, purchased some fabrics, and then imported them into Italy. The business nearly bankrupted under his son’s management. Now why was that the case? It was due to the rise of the railroads. It was a technology change that he didn’t participate in. The retailers simply travelled

to Vienna by train and purchased the fabrics themselves.

Technology changes require a rethink - that’s an age-old business principle.

Does this mean we need new business models now?

Yes, of course it does. There must be new business models, because a juxtaposition of online and

The headquarters of Salewa were opened in 2011 and have set new standards regarding corporate culture and sustainable architecture.

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042 THE LONGVIEW

"Retailers need to be brave enough to charge what their service is worth."

offline will not work when every decision is based on price. That’s why retailers need to highlight the customers’ understanding that they pay a little more for service in the store and that the price of a product is not the decisive factor. The industry itself has to show a little dignity to itself in that respect and charge a little more for its service. A broad clientele has no problems with a slightly higher price as long as the shopping process is an experience. This idea needs to be engrained in the brains of both customers and retailers, but that is not the case yet. It’s a bigger issue for us retailers, mainly because one needs to be brave enough to charge what the service is worth, and then stand by that decision.

Do you shop online?

I don’t buy a lot online. I prefer to be in the garden than in front of a computer. The PC has never suited me. I am more into the Internet after the introduction of the iPad. You want to become a chef too…

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Yes, that’s true. It’s my vision to have a plan for retirement in place now. You can’t really start anything from scratch at that age. I have made many bets saying that I will withdraw from the operational side of the business when I am 60 years of age. That means I have another four years to go. That is the plan. After that, I would like to manage a farm where I do everything myself - the cultivation of old grain types, growing vegetables, harvesting all kinds of fruit, looking after all kinds of animals. I then want to cook with my own produce twice a week. There will only be what is available at that particular time of the year. That is my great vision for the future.

You asked earlier what drives me inside. After thinking about it for a while, I must confess that I can be a very driven man at times. I am driven to try and create new things. On the other hand, I also have a leisurely side to my nature, which enables me to tackle topics in-depth and gain a certain level of wisdom.

You also asked why I do so many

things. It’s the joy of creating things. I haven’t really found the exact answer to that particular question yet. Maybe that is the great challenge of my third stage of life; maybe I need to concentrate on one thing and dig deep.

Thank you for the interview.

www.salewa.com www.oberrauch-zitt.com www.capriz.bz

three-2-one.com

www.alberto-pants.com/collectionreport

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044 WHAT'S THE STORY

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SUSTAINABILITY

Between Greenwashing and Profitability What have fashion companies learned about sustainability in recent years? They seem to have arrived at the conclusion that humane working conditions and sustainable products are not only “nice-to-have” sale arguments, but also an important economic factor.

Text: Ina Köhler. Photos: Manufacturer.

Illustration: Sarah Egbert Eiersholt

The fashion industry is not exactly popular. Around the 24th of April, the anniversary of the Rana Plaza catastrophe in Bangladesh, a string of reports on all media channels highlighted yet again what is wrong with the industry. There are enough black sheep out there. Many companies that had been proven to produce on location – such as Benetton, Adler, NKD, and Carrefour – do not feel they are liable for the victims. As of April 2014, the trust fund had received merely 11.5 million of the promised 29 million Euros.

Even politicians are getting angry; “The inhumane working and living conditions in the textile industry in African and Asian countries are no longer tolerable”, says Gerd Müller, the German development aid minister who recently invited industry representatives to a round table discussion. The conclusion of the consumer media is that the fashion industry is trying to escape responsibility and is dominated by scandals and catastrophes.

Fraudulent Labelling

The fashion industry has to adjust to the fact that consumers will scrutinise them even more closely in the future.

An initiative like the Fashion Revolution Day on 24th of April 2014, which was backed by organisations such as Greenpeace, GOTS, and Oxfam, called upon consumers to turn their clothing inside-out to check where the products are being produced. A recent report about Chinese workers in Prato, who are manufacturing fashion made in Italy for Pronto Moda under unspeakable conditions, proves

that a glance at the label is not enough. On the other hand, some Asian producers – such as KTC in China – are members of the Fair Wear Foundation. Is this a paradox? Actually it’s quite normal for one of the most globalised industries in the world.

It is less important to question the production location than the individual commitment of the company, which may adhere to social and sustainable standards or not.

Politicians and organisations like Get Changed started demanding legislative changes a long time ago. Businesses should be held responsible for compensation payments in the future. “I believe it is desirable to establish international standards, mainly because many sustainability issues are more a global than a regional problem”, says Marie Mawe, the CSR manager at Bolzano-based Ober Alp Group.

“A global minimum standard would definitely help.” Progress has already been made on a regional level. An agreement regarding fire protection and building safety in Bangladesh was signed by more than 160 international corporations such as Adidas, PVH, H&M, Inditex, Mango, and Primark. The Asian country has now also introduced a minimum wage of 60 Euros per month and facilitated the formation of unions.

Notorious Industry: Rightly So?

There is certainly no lack of lip service in the form of statements and conferences. Industry congresses like the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, which was staged in April 2014 and was

dedicated to sustainability issues, were attended by corporations ranging from H&M to Bottega Veneta. Unfortunately, all the good intentions often turn out to be a brief spell of greenwashing. The fact that Franca Sozzani, the editor in chief of Vogue magazine, used the occasion to postulate that fashion is one of the polluting industries in the world casts a particularly bad light on the business. But nevertheless there are ideas and efforts to make design and production processes more ecological and socially acceptable. These come from all sides such as the raw material suppliers, weavers, production companies, washers, and logistics specialists. Brands like Mammut, Schöffl, Vaude, Deuter, Odlo, and Mountain Force joined the Fair Wear Foundation as soon as 2008. Clothing suppliers such as Acne, Filippa K, Gaastra, Odd Molly, Nudie, and Kuyichi are also part of the organisation already. In Copenhagen, the Danish Fashion Institute opened a sourcing “library” focused on sustainable materials. The latter cooperates with partners like CLASS, Source4Style, and Ethical Fashion Forum. For years the fabric trade show Munich Fabric Start has been showcasing sustainably produced textiles in its Forum Eco Village and Organic Selection areas. “Both designers and buyers source and search in a highly selective manner”, says Alex Vogt, the sustainability expert of the trade show. “We discuss solution-oriented approaches that can be implemented on a large scale.” Even during the design process one can find ways to work more ecologically style in progress 414

046 WHAT'S THE STORY SUSTAINABILITY

“Our manufacturers need to meet high standards in terms of social, ethical, and environmental issues.” Henrik Lindholm, Nudie Jeans

“It is important to me to have a clear conscience.”

Andreas Knezovic, FTC

and use fewer resources. Many companies already use design strategies such as up-cycling and recycling; Patagonia, Puma, and Nudie Jeans are but a few examples. However, there is still no real transparency for consumers.

Last but not least, companies need to keep their own houses clean too. What is the ecological assessment of their home markets? style in progress presents four companies that implement sustainability on different levels.

Imaginative: Nudie

For many years, the Swedish brand Nudie Jeans has gradually improved processes. For example, the jeans have been made of organic cotton since 2012 and are certified with the renowned GOTS label. It’s not only the source material that counts; the production, washing, and dyeing processes also adhere 414 style in progress

to social and ecological criteria. “We are also working on ensuring fair working conditions in our supply chain”, says Henrik Lindeholm, the CSR manager of Nudie. This is guaranteed by organisations such as Fair Wear Foundation, an independent multi-stakeholder initiative that examines the rights of workers.

“Our manufacturers need to meet high standards in terms of social, ethical, and environmental issues. In the best case, these are documented by global certificates such as SA80000 or ISO 14001”, Lindholm explains.

Recycling is also a key topic for the Swedish company. It already uses recycled materials like wool

for its collection, for instance for the sweater model Yngve. Jeans are turned into new products too: Nudie carpets are manufactured from worn and donated denims. The warp thread is made of coloured indigo yarn, while the weft thread is made of the recycled favourite pieces. The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation awarded the product the Good Environmental Re-Design label. Another idea was realised in the Nudie Jeans Repair Store in Stockholm, which was opened to the public in 2014.

It offers jeans repair services free of charge and also supplies repair kits for DIY enthusiasts.

There is also a 20% discount for worn and returned jeans.

All these projects are advertised on the brand’s website – so the consumer can, for instance, find out which factory produced his or her particular product.

Pioneers: Knowledge Cotton Apparel

The Danish family-owned company behind Knowledge Cotton Apparel has been in the textile business for more than 40 years. In 1969, Jorgen Mørup acquired an English loom and founded his company J. Mørup Stof. He started using organic cotton as soon as the early 1990s and subsequently became the production partner for manufacturers such as Hess Natur, whereby he gained a lot of experience in terms of sustainability. "We

learned a lot from that co-operation", says Mads Mørup, the founder's son, who launched his own brand in 2007. "I think the awareness of retailers and consumers has changed significantly over the last three years.

Sustainability could develop into a real megatrend." Organic cotton is still an integral part of the Knowledge Cotton Apparel collection. "All our cotton products are GOTS certified", Mørup explains. The label also uses other materials such as recycled polyethylene, wool, and linen. As the men's collection has become broader and more diverse, the brand has teamed up with eight partners from the Baltic region, Portugal, Turkey, India, and China. "We cooperate very closely and intensively with our partners and our production experience is a real asset in that respect", Mørup says. The brand informs the public about its high quality standards and sustainability issues via its website. "Most consumers want their product to be manufactured in a decent manner", he explains. "Therefore, our future communication focus will be sustainability."

Under One Roof: FTC

A premium product with the entire supply chain under one roof is not commonplace in the highly competitive cashmere market. “First and foremost we want FTC to be a modern fashion brand offering excellent

WHAT'S THE STORY 047

SUSTAINABILITY

value for money”, says Andreas Knezovic, the CEO of Interart of Cashmere World AG. However, he has nevertheless been committed to the fair trade philosophy right from the start.

From the breeding of goats, over the combing and dyeing units, to the final production step in own knitting shops – it’s all under one roof. In Shanxi province, the company cooperates with approximately 250 farmers via a contract farming model and employs more than 300 people in its local production facilities. The existence of the aforementioned farmers is secured by contracts that guarantee the purchase of their raw material. Knezovic explains that the aim is to increase the number of goats from currently 20,000 to 100,000 by 2017. As early as 2007, FTC initiated the construction of a full-day school in the province.

“It is important to me to have a clear conscience”, Knezovic says. “The fact that we control all processes makes us fairly

unique as it is.” And the label is innovative too. With the product known as Cashmere + SeaCell, a fibre developed by Smartfiber, it has secured the worldwide rights to combine those materials. The Lyocell SeaCell fibre consists of cellulose and Icelandic brown algae, which is harvested sustainably and is therefore allowed to bear the EU Ecolabel.

Holistic: Salewa

The Ober Alp Group, headquartered in Bolzano, combines such diverse brands as Salewa, Dynafit, Pomoca, and Wild Country under one roof. An international multi-brand CSR team deals with the various sustainability aspects: product,

social standards for employees on location and staff of suppliers, and consistent environmental management. In 2013, Salewa and Dynafit became members of the Fair Wear Foundation. The significance of this becomes even clearer when one learns that 65 percent of all Salewa products come from Asia; the three most important supplier countries are China, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

“At Salewa we take social and labour standards very seriously, which means we continually work on creating healthy and fair working conditions and it is our long-term aim to have transparency throughout our entire supply chain”, says Maria Mawe, the company’s CSR manager.

“All suppliers have to sign our code of conduct agreement and we visit all production sites on a regular basis. We are a member of the Fair Wear Foundation to ensure independent and professional monitoring of the working conditions and we strive to meet the foundation’s strict stand-

ards on a daily basis. Currently the costumer cannot trace his product back to the factory, but it is our declared aim to provide such transparency.” Salewa wants the individual to be the centre of attention. The company shows social commitment by backing projects in Bolivia and Nepal. This commitment also extends to its own shores. The new headquarter in Bolzano – which the company moved into in 2011 – took sustainable criteria into account during the construction process, boasts a photovoltaic energy system, and received the Klimahaus Award for its exemplary overall energy concept. “Salewa’s focus is on ensuring that our entire business activities are sustainable and social, and we want to improve these aspects continually”, Marie Mawe explains.

“Currently the custo­ mer cannot trace his product back to the factory, but it is our declared aim to provide such transparency.”

Marie Mawe, Ober Alp Group (Salewa)

„I think the awareness of retailers and consumers has changed significantly over the last three years. Sustainability could develop into a real mega­ trend.“ Mads Mørup, Knowledge Cotton Apparel style in progress 414

048 WHAT'S THE STORY SUSTAINABILITY

Hang On, He’s Just Saving the World Naturally, Jochen Zeitz doesn’t take things that lightly. However, while chatting with the current supervisory board member and sustainability officer of Kering (the parent company of various luxury brands such as Gucci, Brioni, Saint Laurent, and Boucheron, as well as sport and lifestyle brands such as Puma and Volcom) about exactly this topic, one does get the impression that achieving sustainability could be quite simple.

Jochen Zeitz, how deeply do sustainability and ecology need to be entrenched in a company?

Interview: DĂśrte Welti.

Photo: David Crookes

You are committed to ensuring that businesses - not only those from the textile and fashion industries - publish a life cycle assessment. What exactly do you have in mind?

If you really want to make a difference, then sustainability and all important ecological aspects need to be embedded in all divisions of a company. I am referring to both strategic and operative measures. It is not enough to merely focus on the operational side by doing a little bit here and there. It is necessary to have a strategy that the company implements beyond its supply chain.

By the time a product is introduced to the market and 414 style in progress

can be bought and used by the consumers, the manufacturer has used water, land, and air, as well as producing waste and pollutants such as carbon dioxide. These elements must be measured against each other and then transparently translated into a monetary value. As a result, we obtain a life cycle assessment whose fundamentals are the same for everyone and that can be reported just like the financial figures at the end of the year.

It would be an environmental footprint in Euros and Cents, so to speak.

How can one comprehensibly compare a ton of carbon with a litre of water?

Criteria and calculation approaches to solve this problem already exist. Kering plans to publish its first life cycle assessment in 2016. Nature is our cap-

WHAT'S SO THE LÄUFT’S STORY 049

Xxxxxxxxxxx X

Jochen Zeitz is upbeat about the future. One of his aims is that every company - no matter how large or small - publishes a standardised life cycle assessment. style in progress 414

050 WHAT'S THE STORY SUSTAINABILITY

"My wish is that we finally manage to introduce a general standard. And if that standard becomes enshrined in law, then everyone can build - and has to build - on the same foundation. However, that takes time. What you don’t measure - or what you don’t express in values and numbers - will not be taken into account, or you start trying to improve the wrong things. In that case, the life cycle assessment would remain an abstract concept." Jochen Zeitz

ital, which means that we need to measure it in the same way we value all other corporate assets.

However, it will take time until a standardisation at industry level is achieved.

The interpretation of what a life cycle assessment is still varies greatly from company to company. How can it be standardised?

We need to introduce qualitatively and quantitatively measurable values for the elements we all use, no matter whether we produce shoes, cars, or candy. It is good that people have started thinking about life cycle assessments and that, for a start, every party is doing what they think is best. At least that means that talking is turning into action.

However, things do need to be optimised. I did the same in the past; I just jumped straight into an idea. Over time, one finds out what is important and what isn’t.

It can happen that a company finds out that an element in a new supply chain doesn’t work under ecological conditions. For example, if a manufacturer uses too much water at one location, then that’s where something needs to change. Smaller companies can draw from the experiences of larger corporations; there’s no need to reinvent the wheel each time. My wish is that we finally manage to introduce a general standard. And if that standard becomes enshrined in law, then everyone can build and has to build - on the same foundation. However, that takes time. What you don’t measure - or what you don’t express in values and numbers - will not be taken into account, or you start trying to improve the wrong things. In that case, the life cycle assessment would remain an abstract concept.

Do you think that sustainability really is a factor in the purchase decision of customers,

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especially luxury customers?

What measures could lead to a sensitisation of customers?

You need to make the topic brand-relevant and implement it in an interesting and exciting manner. Luxury brands are often about quality, tradition, and history. If one implements that consistently and uses the right arguments, one automatically operates sustainably. One has to ask oneself where the brand’s competitive edge is and what makes it particularly interesting for the customers. After that, you just need to put it into practice.

What about the so-called lowcost suppliers? Will it be possible to persuade those suppliers to participate in your idea of a life cycle assessment?

Just look at the American market. Look what is happening on the food market over there, for instance. For the last few years, whole-food markets have been on the rise. They offer local produce, work within fair trade rules, and sell organically grown goods. That would have been considered impossible five years ago. Then there’s the very attractive Tesla electric car. There are a few examples of that sort.

The opportunities are countless, but it is vital to tackle the topic in an innovative and confident manner. Debates help and, in the long term, lead to movement.

For example, the United States are currently discussing the sugar level in soft drinks. It is controversial, but that is positive from a general point of view. We need more such disputes in all areas.

achieve something as long as you act with conviction and see what is possible.

You travel a lot. That’s part of your work and your manifold commitments. What do you do to improve your personal life cycle assessment?

I do as much as possible. Above all, I balance out my life cycle assessment with my activities.

In 2008, I founded the Zeitz Foundation, which is a non-profit organisation that is committed to the “long run”. It doesn’t support projects that have an impact from just recently to now, but projects that are effective in the long term. In Rivas in Costa Rica, for example, we are funding the construction of biological gardens that purify wastewater and produce clean water. The residents and the environment need both desperately. However, we do not only build such gardens, we also sensitise and educate the residents and ensure that the systems work in the long run. Then there’s the Segera Retreat on the Laikipia Plateau in Kenya, which is also the location of the Zeitz Foundation’s headquarters. It is our aim to preserve the entire 20,000 hectares of land, as well as everything that grows and lives on it. We also conduct research to learn more about the ecological balance of nature during interaction with humans. In the Segera Retreat, we implement a sustainable lifestyle that our guests can consciously experience and contribute to.

How realistic is it that companies take responsibility before the world runs out of steam?

I hope that we, as in our generation, will still see that happen. We have to act swiftly; we cannot afford to wait until something happens. I am convinced of what I’m doing and I enjoy it too. I believe you can

www.zeitzfoundation.org

Life Cycle Assessment Is it Zeitzgeist?

The plans of the large corporations may be impressive; and possibly they should be perceived as impressive too. And one might be inclined to say that smaller companies don’t have the funds to follow suit. How can such smaller industry players improve the ecological balance? The central question is how business in general can change the world.

Jochen Zeitz teamed up with British businessman Richard Branson for what they call “Mission Plan B”.

On the basis of an agenda with twelve key points, they highlight what is necessary to make entrepreneurship profitable, as well as interesting and effective when it comes to making the world a better place.

They make it clear that a conscious entrepreneurial attitude and a consistent pursuit of goals can make a huge difference. The platform www.bteam. org constantly informs its readers about the progress, achieved goals, and inspiring implementations in both large and small companies all over the globe. Learning from others is definitely a step in the right direction.

Photo by Irene Schaur

052 WHAT'S THE STORY Xxxxxxxxxxx X

Fair or ecological: More and more retailers are dealing with the topic - like Kastner & Ă–hler in Graz.

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SUSTAINABILITY

Think Green The market for sustainable fashion has finally grown up. The range is becoming more and more professional and broader. And the interest of retailers is gradually increasing too.

It’s high time for a change in consciousness.

Text: Ina Köhler. Photos: Companies, Lupi Spum

For the summer season Ludwig Beck decorated its shop windows with an upcycling theme. This is all the rage at the moment; green issues are ubiquitous. And the range of sustainable fashion seems huge. There are countless green brands and labels on the market. At trade shows in Berlin - such as the Ethical Trade Show - buyers of retail heavyweights like P&C, Otto, and Zalando have begun ordering green. But how much of it ultimately reaches the consumer?

According to studies conducted by the market research institute GfK, the proportion of eco-label clothing stands at a meagre 3.7%. This could change soon, as the consumers are showing an increased interest in sustainably and fairly produced fashion. But where can you find such items?

Every supermarket now clearly labels organic food. The situation in the textile retailing industry is somewhat more complex.

Conventional pieces hang next to organic cotton with fantasy labels and an inscrutable amount of certificates makes it more difficult to gain an overview. So shopping turns into a matter of trust and the retailers act as a guarantor for a clear conscience.

“It’s like a weekly market”, says Renate Hunfeld, who has been running the sustainable store Suburbia in Düsseldorf for six years. “The retailer guarantees freshness and local ingredients, thereby making sure that the consumer doesn’t have to worry.”

Scandals surrounding the conditions in the global textile production sites promote this trend.

“More and more consumers

are sensitised”, explains Bernd Hausmann, the founder of the four Glore stores in Nuremberg, Munich, Hamburg, and Stuttgart, in which he sells ecological and sustainable fashion. “If ZDF broadcasts a report on sandblasted jeans, the consumers start asking about the production conditions. Following the disaster in Bangladesh, it was very noticeable that more customers visited the store and the access rate of our online shop even doubled.” This is also confirmed

by Renate Hunfeld: “The media play an important role; many consumers want to know more about the products and make it quite clear that they no longer want fashion that is produced under such conditions.”

The Market Grows Steadily

In Germany alone there are more than 60 stores that specialise in ecological and fair clothing and the number is on the rise.

Katharina Partyka only recently opened her second store named “Kiss the inuit” in Bonn and in Düsseldorf “Fräulein Bredow” started showcasing selected sustainable fashion in spring. The platform “Get Changed” lists the stores by cities and shows the consumers where they can find what they’re looking for. The vertical retailers are not sleeping either. In their communication campaigns they cleverly play with ecology and fairness. C&A, for example, presents itself as one of the global market leaders regarding organic cotton, while H&M recently announced that it will exclusively use cotton supplied by sustainable sources

by 2020. It’s high time for the classic retailers to follow suit…

Nevertheless, a 2013 study conducted by Bonn-based retailers through the Femnet association showed that 50 of the 250 questioned stores stock brands that are either fair or ecological.

The classic retailers have to play the sustainability card quite deliberately. For example, the Austrian company Kastner & Öhler created an independent menswear area this spring. Is the group a pioneer or straggler? “In my perception sustainable fashion hasn’t really arrived in the SME sector yet”, says Sebastian Proft, the managing director of the traditional fashion retailer Dollinger in the Berchtesgaden area. “However, we must not let the vertical rivals take the topic out of our hands.” This is why ecological and fair fashion is one of the three focus areas defined by the Dollinger management.

We are aiming for a minimum of five percent of the entire product range by the autumn/winter season. The proportion will be increased in the long term. “Of course it is a significant investment and we have to ensure that we can remain profitable in the process.” Dollinger is introducing brands such as Ragman, Outfitters of Change, Gardeur, and Nudie Jeans to its sales floor, while the women’s outerwear section stocks brands like People Tree, Racine du Ciel, and Armed Angels. Unlike some competitors Sebastian Proft aims to mix the products on the sales floor: “We will come up with a labelling system for our communication measures.” According

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054 WHAT'S THE STORY SUSTAINABILITY

to Proft, the traditional dress market, which is a speciality of the company, is still finding it difficult to adjust. “Most of the very small manufactures are not sensitised yet, even though they mostly produce in South Eastern Europe. However, we will cooperate closely with the manufacturers to ensure that they, for example, focus more on ecological materials.”

Mix or Separate?

Wolfsburg-based fashion house Hempel has more experience with sustainability than most.

“We started as early as 2008”, says owner Anette Hempel. “The most important thing when choosing the brands is that their style suits us. They shouldn’t be too expensive or progressive and have to be professionally managed. And as a retailer you really need to be committed to the cause, because the margins are often not particularly attractive.”

In Wolfsburg, consumers can find brands such as Good Society, Haikure, Knowledge Cotton Apparel, Lanius, Langerchen, Nudie, Wunderwerk, Umasan, and Format. The labels were mixed initially. However, they are grouped by colours and styles this season. Additionally, they are placed centrally within the store and labelled with a “style plus” logo. “It’s an indicator that tells our customers that the product is special”, Anette Hempel says.

Flood of Certificates

All retailers complain unanimously about the complexity of the certificates; they confuse retailers and consumers alike.

“We work with Fair Trade and GOTS”, Anette Hempel explains. “Obviously it is vital to trust your suppliers. If they do something wrong, then we suffer too.” Sebastian Proft comments: “If I could ask politicians for something, then I would want the existing GOTS label to be declared as the standard rather than developing something new. It would be more sensible to invest the money in measures that facilitate the costly certification process for smaller 414 style in progress

“The most important thing when choosing the brands is that their style suits us.”

Anette Hempel, Modehaus Hempel

“We must not let the vertical rivals take the topic out of our hands.”

Sebastian Proft, Dollinger Mode

“More and more consumers are sensitised.”

Bernd Hausmann, Glore

“In my capacity as a retailer, I have the duty to communicate with my clients directly.”

Renate Hunfeld, Suburbia Store

manufacturers.” The labelling is equally important for the “green” stores. “It’s a safety net for the customers”, Katharina Partyka, the founder of “Kiss the inuit”, says. “Certificates are the most important criteria for us”, Glore’s Bernd Hausmann confirms. “In my opinion, GOTS is the most recognised label.” Renate Hunfeld shares this view, but adds: “It’s still not sufficiently known among the consumers. In my capacity as a retailer, I have the duty to communicate with my clients directly.”

On a political level, the idea of the German development aid minister Gerd Müller to introduce a standardised textile seal was met with little enthusiasm.

Jan Eggert, the spokesman for the foreign trade association of the German retail trade (known as AVE), described it as “completely unrealistic”. The argument is that such a move would make clothing unaffordable for large parts of the population.

However, it is quite amazing that many retailers have already proven the contrary. Sustainability has been an important economic factor in the retail industry for quite some time.

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SUSTAINABILITY

“The Time Was Ripe” In March 2014, Kastner & Öhler opened an independent 70 square metre sales floor for sustainable men’s fashion in its store in Graz. style in progress sat down to chat with chief buyer Christian Adelsberger about the newest concept of one of Austria’s largest fashion retailers.

You created an independent sales floor for sustainable fashion in Graz this spring.

What is the idea behind this move?

The time was ripe for it. We had been considering the idea for quite a while, but five to six years ago all the sustainability labels came from the organic corner.

They looked accordingly and the quality was often not good enough either. We wanted to ensure that our sales area for sustainable fashion is clearly focused on “fashion”.

Why did you choose men’s fashion?

Andreas Brandl, our men’s fashion buyer, has had a high affinity to the topic for a fairly long time. He was waiting for the labels to reach the necessary level and is personally committed to the project. We work with brands such as Knowledge Cotton Apparel, Armed Angels, Natural World, and Outfitters of Change. In addition, we also stock other labels like Nudie.

Did your customers actively ask for sustainable fashion or are you offering added value?

Both are correct. On a superficial level, it is an add-on project, but the consumer demand has risen sharply over the last few years.

However, we are still only talking about two to three percent of the customers. It’s a slender plant

that needs to be watered by us, but we do believe it can grow into a little tree. We want to gain experience. For us it is also an image issue and we feel we need to pave the way.

How has the sales area developed since its opening?

It has developed well. The turnover is actually higher than initially predicted.

What are the criteria on which your brand selection is based on?

One of the great difficulties with brands is that the production processes are often quite hard to trace. We considered every aspect for a fairly long time before deciding on labels that we classified as credible. The second aspect is that each label has its own focus. Some work with Fair Trade, while others prefer organic cotton. Our department is called “Fair” and every customer can check the background of the individual labels online.

There is a wealth of certificates out there. Are they important to you?

Of course they are, but it is indeed an obscure jungle. There are so many on the market which makes it difficult to gain an overview - for both the buyer and the consumer alike. From our point of view, the Fair Trade seal and the GOTS label emerged as the most relevant.

Christian Adelsberger has committed himself to promote Kastner & Öhler’s new “Fair” sales floor.

Can you imagine exporting this concept into other branches?

That is definitely a medium term option.

And what about women?

We are working on a version for women and have come up with a smaller sales area concept. The topic is definitely on the agenda for the coming season.

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056 WHAT'S THE STORY SUSTAINABILITY

Coffee Grounds with New Life Ecoalf, the label of Spanish businessman Javier Goyenche, has only been on the market for a few years, but its innovative approach has already earned it many admirers. Used fishing nets, coffee grounds, and old tyres are used as starting materials for the creation of a fashionable upcycling collection. Celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow love the idea.

Text: Ina Köhler. Photos: Ecoalf

By integrating breakthrough technology, we aimed to create clothing and accessories that are made entirely from recycled materials. However, we didn’t want the items to look as if they were recycled.

What is the story behind your label’s name?

The inspiration for the name Ecoalf came from the initials of my son, Alfredo. Ecoalf symbolises my vision of fabrics and products for future generations.

Tras(h)umanity, the manifesto on your website, highlights the importance of new technologies. How important is this aspect for your company?

When was Ecoalf founded?

What was the idea behind it?

Javier Goyenche believes in sustainability in fashion. His company Ecoalf bears the name of his son, Alfredo.

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Ecoalf was founded in 2009.

The idea was to create a fashion brand that is truly sustainable.

The concept was born on the back of my frustration with the excessive use of the world’s natural resources and the amount of waste produced by industrialised countries. It appeared to me that the way to tackle these issues is to stop using our planet’s resources in a careless way (all studies show that we are presently using five times more natural resources than the planet is able to compensate). Therefore, recycling could be the solution.

When we scanned the market for recycled materials, the main problem was that the choice was limited and of very poor quality.

Furthermore, most fabrics merely contained a very low percentage of recycled material (15 to 20 percent). I therefore realised the need to strike partnerships with factories in order to develop suitable fabrics, lining, straps, labels, and cords made of recycled materials. By heavily investing in Research & Design (R&D) and travelling around the globe to identify the ideal manufacturing resources, we carefully built the foundation for Ecoalf.

Technology and R&D is essential for a company like Ecoalf.

We currently have eleven active alliances throughout the world (Taiwan, Korea, Portugal, Mexico, Spain, etc.), which allows us to continually develop all aspects that are necessary to successfully utilise recycled materials in the manufacturing process. Discarded fishing nets, used plastic bottles, worn-out tyres, post-industrial cotton, and even coffee grounds can be turned into outerwear, swimsuits, sneakers, and accessories. We can only achieve the textures we want by using highly sophisticated and innovative processes.

What is the most innovative technology you are working with?

I’d say the technology we are currently developing to transform PET from the oceans into high-quality yarn. PET that has been in the ocean for many years is very unstable due to the exposure to salt, water, sunlight, etc.

Just imagine, it takes 600 years for a plastic bottle to decompose in the ocean…

From where do you get your materials such as fishing nets, coffee grounds for the fabrics, and tyres?

We have contracts with various companies. For example, SIGNUS Line recycles 90% of the worn-out tyres in Spain. We obtain discarded fishing nets

WHAT'S THE STORY 057 SUSTAINABILITY

from different ports around the globe, and so on.

Do you only work with recycled fabrics or are other details such as zippers and buttons also recycled?

We produce the straps, labels, laces, and such ourselves; they are made of various recycled waste. We still have an issue with the zippers, which are not yet recycled due to a lack of quality.

Our ultimate aim is to create a new generation of products that are 100% recycled, yet still have the same high level of quality and design as the best non-recycled products.

How important is upcycling/recycling for the fashion design process in general? Is this a future growth sector?

I can’t imagine the future going in any other direction. Sometimes it seems humans live on this planet as if they have a spare one to go to.

Where are Ecoalf items produced? Are they manufactured

exclusively in Spain, or also in other countries?

We manufacture where we produce. If we recycle used tyres in Spain, then we produce the flip-flops in Spain. If we recycle discarded fishing nets in Korea, then we produce the products made of that material in Korea.

You get the picture…

Do you use certifications such as GOTS or other sustainability control instruments?

We use GRS (Global Recycled Standard), Blue Sign, and ÖkoTex. How important are these certifications for companies like Ecoalf?

They are VERY important.

In which countries are the consumers most aware of sustainability issues?

I would say that people in the US are more aware than others.

50 percent of our sales are generated in the US.

around the globe, yet companies like Primark, which don’t care about producing tons of cheap fashion, are also experiencing immense growth. How will the fashion industry change over the next ten years?

I believe it’s the consumer who is changing. Consumers seek out companies that represent values they feel comfortable with. I really believe the change is going to be caused by the consumers.

In your opinion, what can governments do to improve production conditions?

Governments could promote the percentage of waste recovery.

Occidental countries only recover and recycle 40% of the waste they produce. That is a truly dramatic situation!

There are a lot of new sustainable companies popping up

The Ecoalf brand, founded

by Javier Goyenche in 2009, focuses on high-end upcycling. Elaborate recycling processes transform old materials into fashionable products such as shirts, jackets, backpacks, bags, shoes, and swimwear for men, women, and children.

The company, which is headquartered in Madrid, has developed into a global business with customers such as Reyer in Hallein, United Arrows in Japan, and Galeries Lafayette in Beijing. Ecoalf’s first own shop is located in Madrid and was built using recycled materials only.

Furthermore, customers can purchase Ecoalf items via the brand’s online shop.

Countless collaborations with celebrities ensured that the Spanish company rose to fame quickly.

Ecoalf teamed up with the website Cool Hunting for an anorak edition. And for Goop, the website run by Gwyneth Paltrow, the brand produced a special vest and backpack. www.ecoalf.com

Elaborate upcycling processes are necessary to transform waste products into fashionable items.

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058 WHAT'S THE STORY SUSTAINABILITY

Can You Improve Nature?

Super Natural. It’s certainly an ambitious plan.

Natural fibres are currently all the rage; one might even brand them as inevitable.

Super Natural Europe is brave enough to try and optimise the properties of natural fibres.

Text: Dörte Welti.

Photos: Super Natural

It is a delicate mission. It’s difficult, needs to be explained, and initially brings a frown to people’s faces. Pure merino wool is really not the ultimate fabric?

Thommy Stumpp, the managing director of Super Natural Europe, is eager to educate the public: “If you are wearing pure merino wool directly on the skin while pursuing activities such as hiking or skiing, the wool naturally absorbs the sweat.

It becomes moist and heavy; the clammy feeling remains.”

And it scratches too. Everyone knows that rather uncomfortable sensation. One wants to be environmentally conscious and wear natural fibres such as functional merino wool that the sheep of this world have put to the test. But it itches. “Exactly”, says Thommy Stumpp. Just like his colleagues at Super Natural Europe, he started off in the skiing industry and was most recently the managing director of Rossignol Germany. The team loves extensive ski tours and being active in general. The perfect way to develop the best equipment.

The “Touch & Feel” Experience

Good fortune struck two years ago. Thommy Stumpp met an

individual who raved about a new fabric that is a blend of merino wool and an intelligent synthetic fibre. “Suddenly it became possible to have the best of both worlds”, Thommy Stumpp recapitulates. “It combined the advantages of nature with the advantages of modern technology.”

It’s not exactly rocket science, especially as blended fabrics have been on the market for ages. So what is new about this particular material? “The two fibres are used in a 50:50 proportion and interwoven super delicately”, Stumpp explains. Nothing is coated or layered; the wearing comfort is truly exquisite. The comfort is enhanced even more by the fact that some items have some Lycra content. The fields of application are limitless. However, Super Natural decided to tread a new path. The company decided against simply creating a saleable collection with the new fibre, but opted for producing no more than two items and sending out countless samples.

This is how the customers were convinced that the new product is truly exceptional. Then Super Natural started designing what the market actually wanted. The items are not seasonal, by the way. After all, the retail industry - especially the sport and

Super Natural’s active collection combines the best wearing qualities of merino wool with the best modern fibres.

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Thommy Stumpp found his mission in life at Super Natural.

fashion segment - is always on the lookout for optimal products that are desirable all year round.

Come sunshine, rain, or snow, multifunctional use is simply better than pure active-wear.

Market Demand to Product

Super Natural started off with a casual running collection, added a yoga balance range, and finally also started thinking about travelling. People who spend 13 hours on a flight to Shanghai tend to have a musty body odour upon landing. This doesn’t happen when the travellers are wrapped in Super Natural clothing. The entire company is a system partner of Bluesign, which is a quality certificate that guarantees that the entire value chain is sustainable, socially responsible, and environmentally neutral. Thommy Stumpp trusts his Chinese production associate, especially as the partners - three in all - share belief in the concept as a whole. The majority of the merino wool is obtained from farmers in New Zealand, by the way. Not all the wool is from there. The country doesn’t have enough sheep to supply as much wool as the market claims to purchase. That would be supernatural. It’s also a completely different story.

Super Natural Europe GmbH, Munich/Germany, T 0049.89.323 87733, office@sn-europe.com, www.sn-supernatural.com

060 WHAT'S THE STORY

Delicatessen and Fashion Does your store suffer from a lack of customer frequency? One possible remedy could be to enhance the product range with small comfort products. However, how should these comfort products be displayed and how credible are they in a fashion store environment?

Text: Nicoletta Schaper.

Photos: Dialogue partners. Illustration: Stefanie Hilgarth@Caroline Seidler

In Nicole Mohrmann’s store, fashionable bags, shoes, and a bowl filled with hair jewellery are displayed on a rustic wooden table. Alongside the aforementioned products the customer finds serviettes with neon green palm tree motifs, colourful adhesive tape for wrapping presents, and neck pillows that make every flight significantly more comfortable. One might say that those products don’t really fit in with the fashion, the jeans designed

by AG Adriano Goldschmied, the dresses by Vanessa Bruno, and Semi Couture. Well, store owner Nicole Mohrmann thinks they do and her customers agree.

Mixed Concept

Nicole Mohrmann runs two fashion stores in Munich. The first, located in the Fünf Höfe complex in the city centre, has been going strong for 13 years; the second is located in Haidhausen. The online shop nicolemohrmann.com is also an integral part of the thriving concept. “I travel a lot and everywhere I go I see the same boring shopping areas with the same chain stores”, she says.

“You have to find your niche and offer customers something that’s a little different.” Nicole Mohrmann comes from the traditional retail trade; she worked at Theresa, Linette, and Fischer in Stuttgart. She knew it was time for her own project when she opened her first shop in the Fünf Höfe complex 13 years ago.

It was time to give a store her personal handwriting, which has never been more important than today. The entrepreneur regularly travels to countries such as the US, India, and Argentina and she always brings back something that can enrich her product range. Crayons from Argentina and bags from India are but a few examples. Sometimes she also unearths electronic gimmicks such as tiny cameras that can be easily connected to the 414 style in progress

computer. All these special items invite customers to embark on an expedition that they cannot experience anywhere else.

Thinking Outside the Box

The concept store idea is not new. Those looking for fashion usually have an excellent eye for all sorts of products that make life more beautiful. The aforementioned comfort products fall into this category; they appeal to the senses and are fun to explore.

The fact that a mix of various business segments can be quite inspiring is proven by magazines such as Couch, Flair, and Instyle, as well as trade shows like the Premium in Berlin. “In an increasingly difficult market environment, stationary retailers need to know the needs of their customers. They simply have to update their portfolio on a regular basis and adjust accordingly”, says Anita Tillmann, the managing director of Premium Exhibitions. “In the best case, the customer finds a product portfolio consisting of a mix of designer collections combined with shoes and accessories, as well as lifestyle products and gadgets that mirror the current zeitgeist. That’s exactly what we present to the retail industry at the Premium. We offer a fashion portfolio that is complemented by fragrances, CDs, magazines, books, and candles, as well as iPhone cases and headphones.”

The Show & Order trade show also showcases fashion and non-fashion products side by side; it displays blankets and plaids by Zoeppritz since 1828, scented candles by Ancini, and lamps and bowls by Ludwig Schröder. “Our visitors are not only interested in fashion, but want to explore all lifestyle topics”, says Verena Malta, the managing director of the aforementioned trade fair. “We want to show our retail partners how they can enhance their shop concepts and thus offer their

own customers a product range that crosses industry boundaries.” This may save a retailer some time as there’s no need to visit other exhibitions.

Dieter Ebling also thinks outside the box. He is a true sales professional and has already worked for the likes of Replay, Phard, Anna Rita N, and Rockstars & Angels. Today, he is developing a European sales network for Emporium GmbH, a business specialising in licence products from the beauty industry, such as the fragrances by French company Novae Plus Paris. Ebling does not only utilise the classic distribution channels, but also takes advantage of his contacts in the fashion industry. “I’m a lateral thinker in that respect”, Ebling states. “I am convinced that a fragrance can also work in a fashion store.” So far, he has received a lot of positive feedback when he introduces the Novae Plus Paris fragrances to Parisian fashion retailers. “Many recognise the advantage that such a product range enhancement can differentiate them from the other two local retailers with a very similar product portfolio”, Dieter Ebling says. To test the mix, he supplies retailers with selected fragrances on consignment, upon request even with a presentation cabinet. For him it is important to offer excellent service and to make life as easy as possible for his fashion industry partners. “The calculations for a scented candle or perfume may be lower than those in the fashion industry, which means that the revenues won’t increase significantly, but at least a fragrance does not lose its value after one season”, Dieter Ebling explains.

Bon Vivant Concept

Many customers decide against entering a store because they might not have an interest in acquiring an expensive piece of clothing. However, they may decide to come in if the travel read-

WHAT'S THE STORY 061

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062 WHAT'S THE STORY

ing material or pumpkin seed oil in the shop window appeals to them. This could be a legitimate way to start a stimulating conversation. Thomas and Annette Wartner have experienced this fairly often. Their two stores named Stulz Mode:Genuss:Leben, located in the German town Waldshut-Tiengen near the Swiss border, have been following a very special concept for six years.

Alongside fashion - brands such as Hackett London, Handstich, and Boglioli in the men’s store and Max Mara Weekend, Thomas Rath Trousers, and Caliban in the women’s store - they offer special hotel tips in their customer magazine, as well as, last but not least, a selection of high-end culinary delights. “We got some funny looks at first, but our bon vivant concept is absolutely established now”, says Thomas Wartner. “The customers can feel that we are passionate about it and are having loads of fun.” The store owners have quite a few stories to tell. One of them is about the Grappa that was stored in a barrique barrel 20 years ago and which will now be marketed by the son who took over the winery in Baden. Another is about the fruit spreads by the brand Ziegler, which is run by a former stewardess from Hamburg who was not willing to settle for common everyday marmalade in the hotels and now distributes homemade spreads from her own manufactory.

Thomas Wartner explains: “If there is a great story and passion behind it, then we can pass that on to our customers.” How can this be staged though? Every Saturday, Stulz organises a special event for epicures with tastings at the bar, where the guests can, for instance, sample various types of pestos. “The customers love it and ask us what we have planned for the next time”, Wartner says.

The store will also offer cooking classes from autumn onwards.

Some customers simply buy a brandy by Rochelt if they didn’t find a clothing item they fancy but still want to treat themselves to something good. The

“Today, fashion retai­ lers need to offer a special product range to avoid being inter­ changeable.” - Dieter Ebling, sales at Emporium GmbH

“Non-fashion items can be a unique selling proposition and provide a decisive advantage over competitors.” Anita Tillmann, owner and managing director of Premium Exhibitions and Station-Berlin ©Juergen Schabes

“Unusual interior accessories enable a retailer to make fashion stores more interesting and appeal to a broa­ der audience.” - Verena Malta, managing director of Show & Order

“If there is a great story and passion behind it, then we can pass that on to our customers.”

- Thomas Wartner, managing director of Stulz Mode:Genuss:Leben

“Many retailers focus on bracelets and scar­ ves. The trick is not to buy into the main­ stream.” - Nicole Mohrmann, managing director of Mohrmann Basics

best time for the Wartners to generate non-fashion revenue is the pre-Christmas period, which is when customers are on the lookout for special gift ideas.

Nicole Mohrmann has made similar experiences: “Some of my customers don’t come to the shop all year, but then pop in around Christmas”, she reveals.

They stock up on Christmas decorations that are anything but classic. The product range consists of items such as Christmas tree ornaments shaped like a Buddha’s head, an octopus, or a waving Hello Kitty figurine. The Christmas event is particularly busy, mainly because Nicole Mohrmann never fails to come up with extraordinary ideas. Last year, she invited three women who run a stationer in New York. The three paper specialists crafted personalised individual writing paper for the customers.

It was a beautiful statement against ordinary mass-produced goods.

Credibility by Conviction

If non-fashion items are presented well next to fashion, it can have a positive effect. This means that fashion sales can be boosted by offering exciting wellness products that cannot be purchased at the likes of Douglas, Rewe, or Aldi. If this is the case, the selection will be understood as it is meant to be, namely as a recommendation of the shop owner to his esteemed customers. At the end of the day, a scented candle, hand-picked teas, or shaving soap should not be seen as a panacea for more frequency and revenue in the melting pot of the fashion industry. However, it should be seen as a chance. One prerequisite for credibility is that the non-fashion goods are in line with the philosophy of the store owners. “It doesn’t make sense to offer delicatessen and fashion just because it is currently en vogue”, Thomas Wartner says.

“More importantly, it has to come across that I myself am thrilled to do so. I need to be fully committed to it if I want to spread the philosophy and inspire my customers.”

www.emporiumgmbh.de, www.nicolemohrmann.com, www.premiumexhibitions.com, www.showandorder.de, www.stulz-mode.de

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Vierthalerstrasse 11 | 5020 Salzburg | Austria +43 662 452832 | www.teuямВ.cc

Don’t be so pessimistic!

064 WHAT'S THE STORY

Why shoe ranges deserve some courage.

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Are shoe purchasers inhibitors of creativity? The majority of consumers never lay eyes on the beautiful eccentric models that shoe designers conjure up. It almost seems as if it’s easier to market special products online.

Text: Ina Köhler.

Illustration: Graham Wiseman.

Photos: Dialogue partners

There it is - the object of our desire. A shoe that shouldn’t even be on display in Salzburg’s shopping street Getreidegasse. It has no sole and no fastener. It’s a little piece of art, which probably means that it is fairly difficult to sell… Nevertheless, this shoe designed by London-based architect Julian Hakes found its way into a retail outlet. The story behind it goes something like this: The Brit Hakes developed a shoe prototype that rather follows the laws of architecture than the rules of classic footwear fashion. It distributes the vertical load between the ball and heel.

It’s spectacular and beautiful, but not commercial at all. Hakes published some of his drawings online and subsequently supplied his prototypes to designers at the London Fashion Week. Both consumers and the press posted enthusiastic comments. Today, the model named “Mojito” is

available in all kinds of colours and finishes. Hakes even received an award from “Draper’s Footwear”.

The Purchaser as Inhibitor

Despite all the media enthusiasm, it is not commonplace for such products to enter the retail space. Only too often the purchaser is the bottleneck through which new products have to pass. But Hakes found a partner who believed in him.

“Julian Hakes offers an interesting new product that has not been on the market in this form”, says Stephan Krug, the managing director of Highline United and Hakes’ distribution partner. “Highline United was convinced by the idea, decided to realise this exciting project, and to ensure that this exclusive shoe reaches the consumers.”

According to his experience, it was not very difficult to persuade stationary retailers. “Progressive specialised retailers instantly recognised the unique selling proposition of Julian Hakes’ Mojito shoe and were willing to add it to their product range immediately.”

Creative Design = Non-marketable?

Deluxe Distribution’s Ilya Morgan also has experience with unusual designs from working with the shoe brand United Nude.

The brand first rose to fame due to the eccentric models named “Möbius” and “Eamz” designed by founder Rem D. Koolhaas.

“We have an iconic product

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066 WHAT'S THE STORY

“Progressive specialised retailers instantly recog­ nised the unique selling proposition of Julian Hakes’ Mojito shoe.”

Stephan Krug, Highline United

“The shoe de­ sign of United Nude divides opinions - some love it, while others don’t understand it at all.”

Ilya Morgan, Deluxe Distribution

“In Germany we currently don’t sell the same range of the collection as in - for instance - the Netherlands and Belgium." Pepijn van Bommel, Floris van Bommel

design and we also regularly co-operate with other designers such as Iris van Herpen”, Ilya Morgan explains. “The shoe design divides opinions - some love it, while others don’t understand it at all.” However, the customers are more audacious than he expected. This is especially true for online retailers such as Zalando.

“The buyers like the product and wear it themselves. And that platform offers really eccentric models.” But there are high-profile stationary retailers on the customer list too. These include the likes of Galeries Lafayette, the KaDeWe, and The Corner.

However, United Nude went through a strategic realignment process a year ago. To appeal to a wider range of customers, the brand now also offers more commercial models. Is this a compromise or a necessary decision to convince buyers?

Brave New Consumer World

If one takes a short glimpse of the product ranges available on the Internet, it seems - at first - as if the consumer has more 414 style in progress

choice. You can choose from all sorts of colours and shapes ranging from plain to super extravagant models. Unfortunately, one only too often finds out that the photo is not backed by a real offer. And are purchasers for online stores really braver? “International shops need to buy for various markets, which automatically makes the product range look broader due to the fact that they have to serve different countries”, says Moderaum Fischer’s Lars Fischer, who is a representative of the brand Fratelli Rossetti. “One has to question whether they really turn over a large number of individual models.” Kurt Denkstein, the distributor of brands such as Pretty Ballerinas and Mascaró, has a similar opinion. “You have to bear in mind that not everything depicted on the Internet is really available.

The diversity offered on the Internet can attract the interest of consumers and may even inspire people to visit stationary retailers to see whether they can find the product there.” Moreover, one can often only find a limited

number of a certain shoe model online. “The recipe for success for stationary shoe retailers is to offer a product in depth, not merely a wide range of products.

This is something our distribution department can influence”, Denkstein argues.

Cross-linking Distribution Channels

Retailers that cover both channels need an excellent strategic concept. The trick is to coordinate the products both offline and online, at least that’s the opinion of Graz-based Leder & Schuh AG. “Everything that’s available in the store, should also be available online - and vice versa”, says Heinzpeter Mandl, a member of the management board. “We could expand the product range on the website with the suppliers via drop shipments (the partner holds the stock and organises shipments), but that is currently not the focus of our business.” A drop shipment means that the supplier merely provides product images for the retail partner. The

risk is shouldered by the brand itself, not by the retailer. This suggests an infinite assortment range to the consumer. “Online retailing gives you an opportunity to experiment and to show what a huge product range you have. Additionally, it generates customer frequency regardless of opening hours”, Mandl explains.

But despite all the enthusiasm for the digital business, he still calls for a competent purchasing division that knows exactly which product it buys for which kind of customer. “If you have a huge green-field warehouse, you could theoretically expand the range of your product portfolio infinitely. For stationary outlets I need to be more focused due to a limited sales area and need to decide in which product modules I want to invest more… and finally it is necessary for retail chains to address the issue of which product range is offered in which branch area”, Mandl says.

This is a rather tricky question.

The 360 outlets run by Leder & Schuh under the brand concepts Corti, Humanic, Dominici,

WHAT'S THE STORY 067

"Stationary shoe retailers need depth, not just a wide range of products!"

Kurt Denkstein, Agentur Denkstein

“When it comes to purchasing, we make sure that we tell a story.

At best, the customer connects at an emotional level and is even surprised.” Rebecca Herkenrath, Herkenrath 1873

“Everything that’s available in the store should also be available online - and vice versa.” Heinzpeter Mandl, Leder & Schuh AG

Stiefelkönig, and Shoe4You are spread out over ten countries.

The sites include prime locations such as Cologne’s Schildergasse or Vienna’s Mariahilferstrasse, but also smaller towns such as Wels, Dornbirn, and Mönchen­ gladbach.

Brain and Gut

Emotion is a key element that is often mentioned in connection with purchasing. Rebecca Herkenrath, a buyer for the high-end multi-brand shoe retailer Herkenrath 1873 in Cologne and Düsseldorf, also believes that purchasing should be based on gut feeling. “Especially with new products I rely on whether the item appeals to me on an emotional level. The price-performance ratio must be right too of course.” Heinzpeter Mandl has a similar opinion and is convinced that intuitive decisions are essential despite guidelines: “The buyer needs to find a balanced mix of gut decisions and pre-defined structures in regard to factors such as price, brands, suppliers, and branches.”

Even new labels in the product range have to be characterised by an attractive product; a strong well-known brand would promote this. However, many buyers opt for supposedly safe models. “A little more risk-taking would be nice. This shoe here is a good example”, Lars Fischer explains at the trade show booth of Fratelli Rossetti. “Everyone is looking at the colourful embroidered model, but hardly anyone actually orders it. I still display it anyway, so I can ultimately sell the black or brown ones.” Online consumer behaviour supports this conservative buying pattern.

“Our online top-seller is the black ballerina”, Kurt Denkstein reveals. Naturally this influences the purchasing division. “People are often afraid to try something new, which is why they focus on the supposedly safe choices”, Lars Fischer muses. “The result is that I see the same product range between Flensburg and Bodensee.” Ultimately, the product has the potential to differentiate a retailer from competitors. “It always depends on the buyer”,

says Rebecca Herkenrath. “I have often witnessed that two buyers were in the showroom of a brand at the same time, but that the result in the shop window or the store was very different in the end.”

Storytelling and Individuality

Obviously economic considerations play their part. The brands have a strong interest in advising their customers in a manner that makes their products more saleable. “In Germany we currently don’t sell the same range of the collection as in - for instance the Netherlands and Belgium”, says Pepijn van Bommel, the commercial director of Floris van Bommel. This means that the average product portfolio is less extravagant than in the neighbouring markets. “For us it is important that a retailer does not only buy eccentric styles, but a good mixture of commercial and highly extravagant models.

At the end of the day it’s all about business.” Nevertheless, especially in times of comparable product ranges, emotionality

and individuality are key issues when it comes to purchasing.

Sometimes one wishes the buyers would be a little more audacious.

“When it comes to purchasing, we make sure that we tell a story.

At best, the customer connects at an emotional level and is even surprised”, says Rebecca Herkenrath. “If customers only find what they expected, it gets boring. That’s why it is so important to purchase individually. We even place a different emphasis on our product ranges in Cologne and Düsseldorf; our customers reward this approach.”

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Growth Pains The dress label Liebig has put its collection on ice and the founders of Firma Berlin have decided to quit altogether after 17 years.

Such examples reflect the current market pressure and raise the question if and how an independent fashion label can enjoy long-term success.

Text: Nicoletta Schaper.

Photos: Brands.

Illustration: Esther Gebauer @Caroline Seidler

“There is no independent label without investor; every young designer would otherwise remain as small as the bakery on the corner”, says Volker Tietgens. Since 2008, the private investor owns a 40% stake in Kaviar Gauche and a 50% stake in Michalsky Holding. “I fell in love instantly with the elegiac dresses by Kaviar Gauche”, Tietgens explains.

“Kaviar Gauche is a small, bright label with a structure that enables it to work well with relatively little financial support and it grows in small steps.

Michael Michalsky already had a successful design career at Adidas and Levi’s, which means he has a completely different background than most of his peers. I find that business approach interesting.”

Today, the company Michalsky is based upon three pillars; alongside fashion for men and women, it also has a licensing business and runs Michalsky designLab, an agency via which Michael Michalsky realises various other design-related projects.

“We have achieved break-even in the licensing and design project segments”, says Tietgens, who is also the second chief executive at Michalsky. “It will probably take a few more years before the fashion collection reaches that point. The biggest surprise for me was how slow the industry actually is. A retailer monitors a collection for a couple of seasons before deciding to replace an already established brand.”

Today, Michalsky has 100 points of sale in German-speaking countries, but Tietgens believes that the potential is by no means exhausted. “The press often tells us that we need to showcase our collection in Paris to be successful. I don’t see it that way. Our home market is large enough and we first need to build on our success here.” However, Volker Tietgens is aware of the fact that the ongoing structural change exacerbates the situation. “It is more difficult for designer labels to enter the market, mainly because vertically integrated players increasingly attack the core competence of independent

multi-brand retailers. That’s why it is important for Michalsky to focus on big online retailers such as Zalando. “The market impact also helps the stationary retailers”, Tietgens explains. “Overcautious selective distribution is a thing of the past.”

Clever Coup

Olivia Pflugfelder-Jünger and Sandra Liermann had less luck in finding a financially strong partner, even though their label Liebig had a promising start. In 2008, when the dress segment was almost exclusively covered

by Diane von Fürstenberg, the two businesswomen focused on uncomplicated silk dresses and handed them on to their girlfriends and the press. The plan was a success and the enthusiasm was great. Due to the distribution agencies Kappler and Baessler, as well as a presence at the Premium trade show, Liebig managed to win over renowned retail customers such as 14 oz., Anita Hass, Lodenfrey, and Off & Co. The collection, consisting of 25 dresses per season, was perfectly balanced too. “Of course we were expected to evolve continuously”, Olivia Pflugfelder-Jünger acknowledges.

“The collection grew in size, especially when we started to take the opinions and wishes of the retailers.” The label experimented with new materials such as viscose and velvet, which was only partially accepted by the retail industry. “As a small label that is always the last to be supplied by producers, it is not easy to manage four collections per year. You hardly have time to breathe.”

At the same time, the financial pressure increased with larger quantities. Olivia Pflugfelder-Jünger: “You finance every season six to seven months in advance, pay at least 50% in advance for fabrics, and the invoice is often on your desk one day after the order has been placed with the producer.” Then there are the problems relating to retailers. “Some expected us to take back and credit unsold items at the end of the season. Moreover, the large regular suppliers are of-

ten paid long before the smaller brands.” Last October, the label did not have sufficient funds to finance the spring/summer 2014 collection. After negotiations with a potential partner failed, Sandra Liermann and Olivia Pflugfelder-Jünger decided to put Liebig on hold and reconsider the label’s set-up.

Start-Up Money

These days, only those who can offer collaterals can enjoy the support of the banks. However, smaller companies often don’t have the financial buffer to pre-finance the next fashion season. Carl Tillessen and Daniela Biesenbach won a lot of awards when they started their project Firma. The company won prestigious prizes such as the Best International Designer Award from the German men’s fashion institute in 2001 and the “Golden Nose” award from the fashion press. In 2006, when Firma launched its women’s collection, the company won the Electrolux Fashion Award for the best collection at Prêt-à-Porter Paris. However, the monetary rewards are often merely the proverbial drop in the bucket for young design labels. “One mostly receives financial support for the debut collection, but at that time a label is still miles away from being viable”, Carl Tillessen says. “The support often lacks sustainability, which means there is a huge gap between starting aid and actual viability.” In the end Firma had 60 customers worldwide. “We received over-

Carl Tillessen, managing director at Firma Berlin: “We didn’t run out of money. We just don’t see a way forward anymore.” style in progress 414

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The cashmere hats by Warm-Me have filled a market gap.

Thomas Brugger, managing director at Warm-Me: “We have found the perfect ni­ che for us; unique products always work. Furthermore, we benefit from our core competence distribution and have complemented that with design compe­ tence.”

whelming feedback last season.

However, this customer feedback and the realisation that we still hadn’t progressed an inch from an economic point of view was a clear signal to call it a day”, Tillessen explains. “For every new customer, another customer gave up his business. At the same time, retailers cut their budgets.

That’s why our business was stagnating.”

Niche and Network

Norbert Reipert, managing director at Villa Gaia: “The retail industry needs diversity. Mentorship is vital to achieve this.”

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The distribution structure that others have to painstakingly build, laid the foundation for the label Warm-Me. When Christian and Iris Obojes, the owners of the fashion agency room with a view, failed to find a premium hat label, they simply decided to start their own. At the 2011 Premium trade show they presented Warm-Me cashmere hats that were ordered by 50 customers straight away. On the

The brand core of Villa Gaia is knitted cashmere manufactured on hand-knitting machines.

one hand because the innovative product precisely fills a market gap, on the other because the label benefitted greatly from the agency’s network. It also helped that the retailers trust Christian Obojes’ judgement.

“Warm-Me has developed beautifully”, managing director Thomas Brugger confirms. “We now sell 10,000 hats per year to 260 customers worldwide and continue to grow.” Warm-Me also profits from the fact that it is an uncomplicated product without fit problems and that everyone can focus on individual strengths. “The key positions are well covered by five people”, says Thomas Brugger, who is responsible for the financial side of the business. Initially, the small label was backed by Issue Modehandel GmbH, a company founded for the import labels of the agency. In May 2013, WarmMe GmbH was founded and has

even managed to generate a small profit. “Now we want to grow internationally. We do notice the worsening payment behaviour of some retailers. It is important to compensate that with other markets.” Thomas Brugger points out that the online business needs to be expanded too.

“I don’t see any danger of the label showing up on the Internet too often, mainly because of our elevated price structure with retail prices between 130 and 250 Euros.”

Vertical Role Model

Villa Gaia’s Norbert Reipert and Simone Zick also animate customers to sell their collection - founded in 1993 - online.

The label initially generated growth via its private customer base. Since 2003, Villa Gaia is a regular exhibitor at the Premium trade show and has been, on average, growing by 40% per

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The Liebig collection was focused on uncomplicated silk dresses.

season ever since. “Our growth amazes us, especially as the industry is not doing so well”, Norbert Reipert says. “The banks no longer finance the retailers’ pre-order, mainly because the banks are under pressure too. In addition, the low interest policy has caused the rents for prime locations to soar, which makes it difficult for multi-brand retailers to pay them.” The strategy of Villa Gaia is nevertheless successful. The brand essence consists of cashmere items produced on hand-knitting machines. The key strength is the ability to knit to size, which makes the company more flexible than most larger suppliers. Thus, the retail customers don’t need to commit too early and can order goods on short notice. This process is made even easier by the fact that the label produces in Europe, which is close to the points of sale. Villa Gaia has managed

Fashion is the third pillar of Michalsky Holding alongside the licensing business and various design projects.

to raise its average revenue per retailer to 10,000 Euros.

The company with 50 employees is also hugely successful on a vertical level; it runs two stores of its own in Prien am Chiemsee and Rosenheim. “Those stores contribute 25% to our overall revenue”, Norbert Reipert reveals. “We are successful because we care for our business and evaluate everything very closely.”

But even successful companies need to face the odd error or mishap. A Villa Gaia store failed to flourish due to a bad location and the factoring company had to file for insolvency in June 2011. Then - to top it all off came a winter that didn’t really deserve the name. “We were suddenly sitting on too many goods”, Reipert says. The company found a silent partner to ensure that all obligations can be met and secure further growth.

“We will be able to pre-finance

the next season from our own cash-flow in two years time.”

Mentors and Patrons

The founders of Liebig can imagine going back to the roots in the future. One option would be to focus on producing the best silk dresses and distribute them via an online shop and other exclusive e-commerce platforms.

Carl Tillessen would, in the event of a fresh start, focus on a range defined by craftsmanship.

It would be a concept similar to Werkstatt Munich, but even more luxurious and pointed.

“Fashion is a lot more individual than the things that are currently dominating the market”, Norbert Reipert says. “It would be great if our industry could find mentors to look over the shoulders of young talents and offer them sales areas. The retail industry needs diversity. Mentorship is vital to achieve this.”

Firma Berlin has decided to call it a day after 17 years.

Olivia Pflugfelder-Jünger, managing director at Liebig: “The risk cannot be shoul­ dered by the label alone.”

Volker Tietgens, managing director at Michalsky: “The press often tells us that we need to showcase our collection in Paris to be successful. I don’t see it that way. Our home market is large enough and we first need to build on our success here.”

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Women + Technology Wrangler. The traditional label belongs to the exclusive club of truly authentic American brands. However, an illustrious history is no guarantee for future success.

Text: Ina Köhler. Photos: Wrangler

The history of Wrangler dates back to the year 1904. While other brands have to cumbersomely build authenticity and history, this jeans brand has plenty of it to offer. The difficulty caused by such a long brand history is to rejuvenate the target group without losing the classic buyer. Jeans were seen as a mere commodity in the 1990s, but the demands on the product and the image of brands have increased.

“A brand with such a long history has to live up to a totally different set of standards”, says Matthias Herrmann, the sales director responsible for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. After conducting extensive consumer research in respect to Wrangler’s target group the findings were used to create a strategy that focuses heavily on the product itself. The result is titled “Denim Performance” and has produced innovations such as jeans that keep warm due to an integrated

hollow fibre named “Thermolite”, water resistant jeans, and cooling jeans. “Our typical customer wants good quality and an additional benefit for his hard earned money. Our products are unique in the market”, Herrmann explains. They are long lasting too. The jeans model named Texas has been on the market for no less than 25 years and is one of the best selling zipfly models.

Desirable Target Group: Women

Women were once an important target group for Wrangler.

They have moved back into the focus of the brand recently, also with new product ideas. “Live in Denim” is the new slogan under which innovations such as “Shape Keeper”, “Silk Soft”, and the successful “Denim Spa” range are being launched. For example, some jeans finishes include argan oil, which nurtures the skin. “We had quite a large reaction in the press and among customers”, Herrmann explains.

The women’s fashion sales are expected to double by 2015; the same applies to the share of total sales, which currently stands at 25%. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are key markets for Wrangler within Europe.

Herrmann points out that the Wrangler brand is growing faster than the market again after its target group and collection statement are more focused: “2013 was a very good year for us and we expect to enjoy further growth in 2014.” The target for 2014 is a 10% growth rate. VF Corporation plans to invest more in Europe’s core market. A major consumer campaign with racing driver Kimi Räikkönen as brand ambassador will be launched this autumn.

Investment in Retail

Wrangler focuses on jeans with an additional benefit: cooling, warming, water resistant, or skin nurturing.

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Retail expansion is also an integral part of Wrangler’s strategy, both on its own steam and with co-operation partners. On April 17th, a 70 square metre Wrangler store opened in the Limbecker Platz shopping centre in Essen. It is the second of its kind after the first Wrangler

Matthias Herrmann: “Our products are unique in the market.”

store opened in Leipzig in 2012.

This new store will act as a blueprint for further shops with an authentic look, which will either be run by Wrangler itself or in co-operation with retailers.

“What is important to us is to secure the right locations with a good tenant mix. This includes both a downtown location as well as a well-managed shopping mall”, Hermann says. Wrangler plans to run 30 partner stores by 2017, of which five are expected to be realised over the next two years.

Wrangler Roughly 110 years ago, Charlie Hudson founded the Hudson Overall Company in Greensboro/North Carolina, which then changed its name to Blue Bell Company in 1919. Greensboro is also the location of the headquarters of VF Corporation, the largest clothing company worldwide, which acquired the Blue Bell Holding in 1986. In the last fiscal year, VF Corporation’s sales amounted to 11.4 billion Dollars (8.3 billion Euros). The portfolio of VF Corporation does not only include jeans brands like Lee or 7 For All Mankind, but also brands such as Nautica, Timberland, The North Face, Vans, Eastpak, Napapijri, Reef, and Splendid. www.wrangler-europe.com

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On Track for Becoming a Brand 0039 Italy. Innovative tops that make classic blouses look old - that’s what 0039 Italy is renowned for. But who would have connected the name with a complete fashion collection?

Text: Nicoletta Schaper.

Photos: 0039 Italy

When a TV channel aired a portrait of 0039 Italy founder Aysen Bitzer-Bourak in May as part of a programme about successful German women, it had an immediate effect. “Our store in Stuttgart was particularly busy; our online shop also experienced a peak in customer traffic”, Aysen Bitzer-Bourak says. She founded the label 0039 Italy 14 years ago with the aim of revolutionising the blouse segment. She immediately won over top German retailers with her passion for the product. This is how the success story began and it certainly isn’t over yet.

Retail Power with Partners

Today, 0039 Italy has approximately 1,000 points of sale worldwide. Aysen Bitzer-Bourak attaches particular importance to healthy partnerships with retailers, which is why she also - quite deliberately - wants to remain selective in the online segment.

0039 Italy already has eight partner stores in Paris, Florence, Munich, and Palma; stores in Düsseldorf and Hamburg will be added to the list in September.

The brand also boasts 30 corners

The 0039 lab-collection focuses on more details and handicraft.

in premium department stores such as Breuninger and Ludwig Beck. “The stores and corners enable us to present 0039 Italy as a complete collection”, Aysen Bitzer-Bourak explains. After all, 0039 Italy started positioning itself as a complete collection with knitwear, jerseys, trousers, and outdoor clothing in 2011. Aysen Bitzer-Bourak, who describes the creative part as a very emotional process, says that a lot of manual labour is necessary. This also applies to the additional spring/ summer 2015 lab-collection, which embodies the essence of 0039 Italy with even more detail and handiwork, as well as an exclusive poppy print. The brand produces its items in Italy and Portugal, which is an integral part of the corporate philosophy.

“We can make more than just beautiful tops”, says 0039 Italy founder Aysen Bitzer-Bourak.

Alongside on-time delivery and service, Aysen Bitzer-Bourak is particularly focused on offering a balanced price-performance ratio. The average purchase price stands at 44 Euros for blouses and 48 Euros for trousers, while the average purchase prices for knitwear and outdoor items are 69 Euros and 169 Euros respectively. “We offer a calculation factor of 2.75 and an exchange of goods if required. This way we achieve a sales ratio of 90%.”

Public Relations

Now 0039 Italy is primarily concerned with establishing itself as a complete collection - and thus as a brand in its own right.

To achieve this, public relations are essential. 0039 Italy has an in-house press department, as well as press agencies in England, France, Italy, and the US. “We are on a good path to transforming from a label into a fully-fledged brand”, Aysen Bitzer-Bourak says. “We are growing continuously, but the work has changed. It is now more complex, which is also due to our retail development.” Seven more partner stores will be opened in 2015: one each in Moscow, Beirut, London, and Marrakech, as well as two in China. This is the perfect way to strengthen 0039 Italy’s brand awareness on an international level.

Innovation, a coherent price-performance ratio, and excellent service are the foundations on which 0039 Italy rests.

0039 Italy Fashion Direct GmbH, Stuttgart/Germany 240 items twice per year with three delivery dates www.0039italy-shop.com

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Chris the Builder Chris Sports. Christian Bättig knows a thing or two about stable constructions.

After all, he is a fully trained carpenter. He also knows a thing or two about sports.

After all, he was both a professional skier and a ski preparation specialist.

Text: Dörte Welti.

Illustration: Eva Vasari @Caroline Seidler

When one thing leads to another, it can result in a perfectly viable business. The history of Chris Sport is characterised by pure passion. Christian Bättig and a friend attended the junior world championships in Alaska in 1989. After the event, the two sportsmen decided that a bicycle tour starting in Salt Lake City and leading through the entire US would be cooler than flying straight home. Without this decision there would be no Chris Sports in its current form. The distribution agency headquartered in Canton Thurgau has 18 top sports brands in its portfolio and employs 50 people. Its warehouse has thousands of square metres of storage space and the visibly satisfied boss is only too happy to give visitors a tour of the premises. Back in 1989, Bättig and his friend were fascinated by the quality of the bikes they used to cycle across the US for three months and were very sad when they had to end their trip due to a lack of funds.

Did they abandon their trusty two-wheeled companions? Of course they didn’t! The bicycles travelled back home to Switzerland with them. Cycling is fun in Switzerland too and soon others were asking about the high-tech bikes from across the Atlantic. So who built them? Christian Bättig did some research, found the producer, and founded his very first distribution company.

Door Openers and Lucky Finds

At first Christian Bättig also worked for two days a week at Adidas in Tagelswangen, Zurich.

That’s where he also learned which mistakes one should avoid making. As a passionate skier, he continued to train on his bikes when there was no snow; one needs the same motor skills

during the downhill sections.

However, his employer does not offer all the products he needs.

Cycling shoes are just one example. That’s why Bättig started looking for suitable products himself and started distributing what he found. Sure, the Adidas label on his business card was a door opener for the young distribution enthusiast within the retail trade, but he himself had to make sure he could deliver the products, is reliable, and can act swiftly. Chris Sports had five employees when it was forced to look for new premises; Tagelswangen had become too small for the company’s growing business volume. A lucky find in Münchwilen, not far from the original location, was a real boost for the young agency. The new home base is a rather charmless building from the 1970s. But who cares as long as it serves its purpose? It does that so well that the company has to add new space constantly. Even when all the competitors were suffering, Christian Bättig was doing just fine. The father of four has remained grounded and exclusively focuses on brands that rise to the top, thereby ensuring sufficient business volume. New Balance is one of the brands currently experiencing an unbelievable hype. Fans actually spend the night in front of the store when the US sneaker label announces the launch of new special models. The retail industry adores Christian Bättig. He is capable of delivering within 24 hours as long as the order comes in by 4pm. This is unheard of and ensures fierce customer loyalty.

This is made possible by the B2B shop solution, an innovation that Christian Bättig introduced in 2011, when the revenue figures started stalling due to the Euro crisis. Should a buyer not find

the desired item in the store, it takes no more than a click to get it the next day. Chris Sports also supplies in-house goods refinement for many of its clients, which is also a unique service.

Every shoe is unpacked by hand, labelled, and repacked.

Friends and Professionals

Today, Chris Sports has - alongside its headquarters in Münchwilen - a showroom in the TMC in Zurich, as well as further showrooms in Aigle, in Bad Ragaz, in the MOC Munich, and in Salzburg-based Brand Box. Every one of them is run by passionate athletes who really understand their customers and who are always more friends than business partners. This is very important to Christian Bättig, a handyman who likes to call himself Bob the Builder from time to time.

When strolling through his company’s headquarters he addresses everyone - really everyone - by name, asks about their wellbeing, and introduces the visitors he has in tow. He doesn’t act like a boss at all. Actually, he really is just a builder. He has surrounded himself with professionals for the business angle, such as CEO Damian Wirth, CFO Andreas Guglielmo, and COO Michael Fontana. Bättig makes the drafts and builds from the base. His structures always hold.

Chris Sports Christian Bättig AG Murgtalstrasse 18 9542 Münchwilen/Germany T. 0041.71.9696666 swisschris@chrissports.ch www.chrissports.ch

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From Handkerchiefs to Lingerie Empire Hanky Panky. Germany, Italy and Great Britain are currently the most important European destinations for Hanky Panky. The lingerie brand from the USA will only ever be sold overseas, not manufactured overseas.

Text: Petrina Engelke.

Photos: Hanky Panky

“Boyshorts” are the must have item in Germany. We’re not talking about denim, but delicate lace. These “Boyshorts” are from the lingerie collection of Hanky Panky, the self-professed manufacturer of the most comfortable thongs in the world.

These Americans! Anno Tobak had to ship authentic Parisian styles to American railway magnates and oil barons and their wives if she wanted to get anywhere. The newest fashions are dictated by Europe. But America has fought back with inventiveness: In “Gone with the Wind“, Scarlett O’Hara blazes her way out of fashion misery in a green drape, and the (real!) New Yorker Mary Phelps Jacob freed

herself from her uncomfortable corset in 1914 – with the help of silk handkerchiefs – when she invented the bra.

Embroidered handkerchiefs, not silk, fell into Gale Epstein’s hands when she wanted to create handmade underwear as a present for a girlfriend. The innovative New Yorker founded Hanky Panky in 1977 (hanky being short for handkerchief, and “hanky panky“ means, among other things, “a roll in the hay”).

A lot has happened in the lingerie market since then: “Certainly the exodus of apparel manufacturing and its supporting industries from these shores was the biggest change and it affected us with the scarcity of local resources”, says Epstein.

Hanky Panky has manufactured exclusively in the USA from the very beginning, and continues to do so. Magazines such as Vogue call the marketing department of the Manhattan based international fashion brand to order delicate camisoles for a photo shoot. Several sewing machines chatter away just around the corner of the desk where the phone rings.

Domestic Production for Better Quality

“There was never any question of outsourcing”, says Epstein. Epstein is proud of supporting the local economy and having firsthand knowledge of the local working conditions. A fast turnover also counts among

Hanky Panky is proud of the label “Made in USA“. The delicate fabric of this underwear is stitched by the sewing machines of New York.

the advantages, and keeping production close to hand means the best quality can be guaranteed.

The designer is eyeing white lace. A sample is being cut from lace ribbons which are stored in a shelf in all the colours of the rainbow, not far from her desk.

Lace camisoles and panties in vivid tones are already waiting up in the showroom. “The neon colors have been an exciting trend; very challenging for the dye houses but very appreciated by the customers.” says Epstein.

Partners from the world of women’s outerwear are also drawn to Hanky Panky. This year Hanky Panky entered a co-operation with Gwen Stefani’s label LAMB, Lilly Pulitzer is due to follow in 2015. In the meantime, Gale Epstein reveals her personal tip for a kinky fashion statement, which she says many of her customers follow. “It may be our secret“, she says “but the satisfaction we get from knowing that our thong or panty matches, say, the turquoise ring or the red scarf, sets the balance for the day.”

www.hankypanky.com

Hanky Panky founder Gale Epstein makes a fashion statement every day with her choice of underwear – even if almost no-one gets to see it.

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Rejuvenating Treatment Pomadère. Today, it does not go without saying that children choose a profession that their parents already have a passion for. However, Pomandère’s Carlo Zanuso never had any doubt.

Text: Dörte Welti. Photos: Pomadère

In 2008, when the young Carlo Zanuso founded Pomandère, his very first own fashion line for women, it was the logical consequence of everything he experienced on a daily basis as a child and teenager. “My parents managed a shirt manufacturing business for more than 30 years.

I always observed what they did with great curiosity”, he says. As a result, the boy from Zané in Vicenza did not only learn how to “make” fashion, but also why it is so important to do it in exactly that manner. “I was trained in tailoring everything as simply as possible, which is part of the Italian tradition and culture.”

However, Carlo Zanuso broke with tradition to a certain extent.

He expanded the shirt genre by adding an entire collection and driven by his very Italian passion for clothing - built a highly coherent fashion range. It was not enough for him to simply

produce shirts for other brands; he wanted something that is his own, unique, and timeless.

Free from Trends and Constraints

“The characteristic feature of Pomandère is the chaste colour palette”, the designer explains.

“We use natural fabrics and create a ‘homemade’ mood.

Women purchase Pomandère items because they feel comfortable all the time, no matter whether on a normal day or for a special occasion.” This may explain why Pomandère doesn’t follow any trends or preset looks, but quite deliberately creates its own image. It wants the women to enjoy the freedom to showcase their individual look by combining different styles. Carlo Zanuso designs the fashion himself and actively takes part in the entire manufacturing process. He also has no problems with lending a

Carlo Zanuso likes refinement; his Pomandère collection honours the light heartedness of fashion.

helping hand at the last minute. He wants everything to be perfect. Only items that the boss can identify with 100% are allowed to leave the sewing room.

From the summer season 2015 onwards, Pomandère will be distributed in Germany via the agency Room with a view. “We have an existing partnership with Room with a view in Austria and this collaboration has made us stronger every season. Seeing that it is such a great partnership, we decided to team up with them for the German market too.”

A Breezy Name

As elegant and simple the distinguished, androgynous, and feminine collection of Pomandère may be, it’s the name that is truly unusual. “Pomander” is actually a term for little scent bags that are placed in the wardrobe to ensure that the laundry retains its freshness. “That’s it, yes”, says Carlo Zanuso. “These light and airy linen bags - filled with dried flowers and traditionally also with lemon zest - refresh every wardrobe. That’s what I was thinking about when I came up with the name.”

Androgynous - oversized jackets and dresses that flow like shirts are a testament to Italian tailoring expertise.

Always fitting - perfect cuts ensure that women wearing Pomandère are beautifully dressed for every occasion.

Zanuso srl, Zanè/Italy, T 0039.0445.360606, info@pomandere.it, www.pomandere.com

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078 THE TALK

Elizabeth Beer and Brian Janusiak are always on the road to find inspiration for Project No. 8.

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“Curating makes it Sound Like your Work is More Meaningful” Project No. 8 has a reputation for having one of the coolest product ranges in New York. The store’s mix of high-end fashion and art objects is deeply rooted in the lifestyle of owners Elizabeth Beer and Brian Janusiak. They live and work at the intersection of art and design. This is also reflected in their views regarding online retailing. Interview: Petrina Engelke. Photos: Clemens Kois

How did the launch of Project No. 8 come about in 2006?

Brian Janusiak: Elizabeth had designed a line of children’s clothing and then moved on to the fine arts. I had started off in the fine arts and subsequently moved on to the world of graphic design. When we met, we started discussing distribution issues, mainly how ideas spread around the globe and how stores are different to galleries. We thought it would be interesting to create a store space and figure out what it could evolve into.

Elizabeth Beer: That was at the time when communication via the Internet really exploded.

Online shopping had just burst onto the scene, but fashion-wise people were still hesitant to buy items online without being able to try them on first. Obviously,

this is no longer the case. Still, it was kind of retrograde for us to open a stationary store while the development was going the opposite way. We wanted to see where that deliberate step backwards would take us.

You have also created a website with a rather uncommon structure. It is merely an alphabetical list of luxury fashion labels, artists, colours, and random words. How did you come up with that approach?

Brian: Back then, there was no clear definition of what a retail site should look like and how it should work. So we basically designed the site for ourselves based on our own expectations.

We wanted everything to be neutral; so we opted for an alphabetical list. That was roughly seven

years ago, yet the approach still seems fairly fresh.

Elizabeth: A lot of the words weren’t actually products. It wasn’t really commercial, but more of an art project.

Brian: Sometimes you would click on something and would just be a thought we had on a topic rather than something to buy. It defied all expectations and created its own set of expectations instead.

What was the response to this website?

Brian: We found that people were really into it. We got fan mail from certain demographic groups who loved that our site was simply doing its own thing.

Then the Project No. 8 following started to grow and with it the general idea of a store’s website.

Suddenly people started sending style in progress 414

080 THE TALK

The new website of fashion store Project No. 8 displays product photos in its very own individual manner.

us e-mails saying that they visited our website, but thought it was broken. It was quite obvious really. We no longer appealed to one demographic group and our website did not meet the expectations of the new arrivals.

It was never our intention to alienate anyone, which led to the decision to re-launch the site.

What does a retail website need today?

Brian: If you want people to buy things, you need to supply 414 style in progress

them with images. From a design point of view, there are no clearly defined hierarchies that make perfect sense. We solved this problem by collaborating with photographer Clemens Kois.

Apart from the design, which online retail trends have you identified?

Brian: What we hear retailers talk about most regarding the content is the introduction of an actual storyline. They basically

want to become a magazine that sells from its pages.

Elizabeth: Many try to create an imitation of a social experience.

Brian: You can marvel at a beautiful editorial shoot on a beach depicting beautiful people presenting items you might want to own too. You can tweet your friends about it and, when they visit the site, they might think that they want to own that bag and have that fabulous life on the beach. I think that is what

online retailing is about now. I try not to be too cynical about it. I think it’s the right inclination. In our stationary store, you talk about the items on the sales floor, outside the sales floor, and general ideas. Sometimes people leave with purchased items and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes the visitors come back with their friends. This is one of the main reasons why stationary stores still exist (laughs). After the retailers finally grasped what the true

THE TALK 081

value of a physical sales floor is, they now want to imitate it online without it really happening.

Whether online or offline, how do you find the goods you end up buying for your store?

Brian: We just remain open minded. We are always excited to see something we have never seen before or to see something from a different angle.

Elizabeth: And we travel a lot.

That’s how we discovered that there are many excellent and intelligent fashion designers out there. A lot of them were either not represented in New York at all or harshly underrepresented.

Brian: We always want our store to present creations and the ideas behind them. So we only considered objects at the start.

During our travels, we realised that “creation” also applies to the clothing industry. We discovered designers such as Boudicca in England, Christian Wijnants and Stephan Schneider in Belgium, and Kostas Murkudis in Germany. They all express some incredibly interesting ideas and their craftsmanship is top class.

on the sales floor, we include that item too. We might even know that nobody is going to buy it, but that doesn’t really matter. In those instances I feel like we are curating. We would

love it if people went back to calling things what they are.

Unfortunately it’s not like that anymore. In most cases, it is merely buying even though it is called curating.

Elizabeth Beer takes the online shop photos into her own hands.

Elizabeth also co-runs the Arratia Beer Gallery in Berlin.

The term “curating” comes from the art world, but it is now also widely used by fashion boutique buyers. Is this an accurate term?

Brian: I don’t think that it is always accurate. I think it is now used to make the buying process sound better and more meaningful.

Elizabeth: We do find both equally valuable though. We were always adamant that we don’t run a gallery, but a retail store. Curating is an academic pursuit; it is a very social endeavour. I think people use the term very lazily. “Curating” makes it sound like your work is more meaningful than the world thinks it is. Although I do believe that the buying process can be very meaningful or at least very interesting.

So are you buyers or curators when you put new items into your stores?

Brian: I think we are both. As buyers we make economic decisions; we choose items that we know will do well in the shop.

However, if we feel that an item can be a great conversation piece

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Trends Spring/Summer 2015

Luchino in Spiaggia

Legends such as Luchino Visconti while bathing?

Well, in a seaside resort - a very sophisticated one too.

Eclectically, artistically, and possibly even eccentrically dressed, but always with a certain style. The basics for this look are broad stripes in summer colours, terry shirts, polos, pullovers or sports jackets, and graphic patterns on shirts and blazers.

Talking about a revolution..

Is it a fashion landslide? Is it a trend that turns everything upside down? That is a thing of the past.

However: origin, design, sustainability, ecological footprints, and fairness are the statements that define the future.

Text: Martina M端llner. Photos: Bernhard Musil, manufacturers

Salvatore Piccolo McRitchie

Altea Hamaki-Ho

GZC

The Gigi

Daniele Fiesoli Tommy Hilfiger

Luchino Massimo Alba

Drykorn

Tagliatore Luis Trenker

Atelier Gardeur

Sand Cinque

Buttero

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Simply Excellent

FASHION 083

Barena

One doesn’t need to waste too many words on the dominance of denim. Every company does what it does best: clean jeans and sharp cuts or a blue refined in all forms of vintage skill. There is definitely no lack of choice.

Fortela Care Label

Ron Herman Denim

Superga

René Lezard

Pence Barb’one

GAS

Marlino Replay

Alberto

Hamaki-Ho

Cinque

G-Design Mavi

Tommy Hilfiger Denim

Tommy Hilfiger Denim

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RenĂŠ Lezard

The Lion Sleeps While the big cats enjoy a season off, their habitat is still very much in fashion. Jungle, palm leaves, and floral fantasies breathe life into outfits - preferably into jackets and trousers, sometimes subtly tone-intone and sometimes in fluorescent colours.

Minimum Bomboogie

Closed

Paul & Joe Patrizia Pepe

Element

Marni

A.T.P. & Co Antony Morato

Wool & Co

Yuketen Candice Cooper

G-Design Made in Heaven Sand

Woolrich Lodenfrey 1842

Drykorn

Colmar Superga

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Elf-like Amazons

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Light cotton voiles, delicate organza, fluffy knits, flowing silhouettes, slender floral patterns - one should not be surprised to see strong women robed in such garments. A bit of romanticism is an outstanding addition to everyday life.

Short tops combined with maxi skirts create an interesting contrast of length.

Sportalm

Joop

Mabrun

Lacoste

Woolrich Minimum

Sessùn Marc O’Polo

Lodenfrey 1842 FTC Freds Bruder

Milestone Marc O’Polo Pure

Liu Jo

Bloom

Tommy Hilfiger Barb’one

Luis Trenker

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Step Up!

Yuketen

Sneakers! Retro-running and its associates have expanded their supremacy even more. An outfit simply isn’t complete without a great pair of sneakers. Every brand has the freedom to interpret the “retro” aspect individually. Whether 80s, 70s, or even earlier shapes - the main thing is that it’s a running shoe from the past. Even though it may be considered modern now.

Gino B

Superga Raparo

SRP by Pulchrum

Gino B

Element Floris van Bommel

Antony Morato

Bruno Bordese

New Balance

Lacoste Candice Cooper

Superga

Munich

Gaastra

Tiger Jay

New Balance

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Tiger Jay

High-tech D.O.C.

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Spiewak

It’s no longer commonplace to simply send some nylon material to China and have it processed into a jacket that is then thrown onto the market at a high price. The high-tech jackets of today boast a sound ecological footprint or are made from recycled materials.

That’s excellent news.

Duvetica

Baracuta

C.P. Company

Blauer USA Elka

Ecoalf

Z Zegna Bomboogie

Bothos Blauer USA Parajumpers

Marc O’Polo

BPD Lodenfrey 1842

Joop

Tommy Hilfiger

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088 FASHION

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Windproof, water-repellent, breathable - Urban High Tech Sportswear is defined by the commitment to an active lifestyle, as well as the desire for clean silhouettes and simple designs. Functional properties are a welcome - and expected - side effect.

Text: Kay Alexander Plonka. Photos: Producers, Cathleen Wolf for styleproofed.com

Walking, running, or biking sport mirrors what the modern consumer would like to be perceived as. An outfit that is visibly sporty underlines the message.

Today, one can spot young men in Helly Hansen offshore sailing jackets in Hamburg’s city centre or in hard and soft shell jackets worthy of an alpinist in the centre of Berlin.

Sportswear has already made inroads into the everyday life on our streets. Fashion arrogance is a thing of the past, meaning that one is now allowed to appear at the office or to dinner in sneakers and functional jackets.

This means sportswear has been transformed into everyday clothing. However, this new normality has its peaks and spikes; to an extent that one may be tempted to speak of a real trend.

They are seemingly everywhere, those Nike Air Max Girls. The term was coined for women and girls who helped the fashionable running shoe of the 80s to stage such a brilliant comeback.

Even ultra-light running shoes with a very competitive look are now used on an everyday basis, mostly because their modern look complements current outfits so well.

“The boom regarding so-called flat-race models with an extremely breathable upper layer, which come from the 10,000 metre performance segment and weigh less than 150 grams due to carbon inlays in the sole, was initially a trend in London a few years ago”, says Carlos Alvarez, the New Balance product and key account manager for Switzerland and Austria at Chris Sports.

“After lifestyle accounts started ordering the performance shoes, New Balance introduced the Blue Tab collection last autumn.

In these models, the technical

features come in fashionable colour combinations or tones such as black, dark blue, and dark red.

It is not a peak topic just yet, but customers such as Titolo and Sportslab have already added this new range to their sales floors.”

It’s quite possible to be mentioned in a fashion blog while wearing marathon shoes. Is this merely a media phenomenon or soon a trend for the masses? Carlos Alvarez: “It is important to us to remain true to our philosophy of serving the lifestyle and performance segments separately from each other in order to avoid losing consumer credibility. One has to be very careful in this respect. It makes little sense to sell professional running footwear in the lifestyle segment because the higher abrasion factor means that they cannot meet the demands of everyday life.”

Sneakers on the Catwalk

The emperor himself gave this type of shoe his blessing.

Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld even sent his haute couture models onto the catwalk in sneakers and Caroline of Monaco, one of his most loyal customers, was spotted in Chanel sneakers at the annual Rose Ball shortly afterwards. The supportive crutches made necessary by a recent knee operation did, however, suggest that it was more than just a fashion statement. “The trend of sneakers on the catwalk will fade again next season”, says Julia Freitag, a publicist and stylist at www. styleproofed.com. “The look that combined sneakers and evening dress is a zeitgeist phenomenon that emanates from everyday life.

I believe it is an expression of Americanisation and naturally also a tribute to modern youth culture. Anyone who wants to appear young, hip, and creative,

wears sneakers! And they even wear them in the evening now.”

Unlike in the 1990s, the look has now established itself. “Wearing sneakers on the red carpet or with an evening robe is a clear anti-establishment statement.

Hey, look at me! I am true to myself and I refuse to dress up for any gala. Pharrell Williams is a prime example for this kind of approach. He is a symbol of youth culture and wants to remain true to his own identity.

I tested the trend of combining evening dresses and sneakers for my online magazine and I found it good and feasible as long as one adheres to a few styling rules”, Julia Freitag explains.

Combining the comfort of sneakers with as much style and prestige as possible certainly works. More and more high fashion and premium sportswear suppliers focus on sport/ lifestyle products. One example is Adidas, which now creates collections in collaboration with renowned designers. mytheresa. com, which is arguably Germany’s best known online store for high fashion, has even listed other sportswear lines alongside Adidas by Stella McCartney, Adidas by Ralf Simons, and Adidas

by Opening Ceremony.

“Y3 is the large new sports label that we added to our portfolio for autumn/winter 2014/15. We are thrilled to be able to offer the brand online, despite its strictly limited distribution policy. We will also add Adidas’ Rick Owens sneakers to our range and expand it by adding Adidas collection

by Mary Katrantzou for spring/ summer 2015”, says Justin O’Shea, the buying director at mytheresa.com, and adds: “Regarding the brands we already stock, we once again broadened our order for autumn/winter style in progress 414

090 FASHION

For the next season, Justin O’Shea, the buying director of mytheresa.com, is focusing on luxury lounge wear by renowned designers such as Adidas’ high-end sneakers designed by Rick Owens.

Julia Freitag, a publisher and stylist at www.styleproofed. com, tested wearing the ultra-lightweight sneaker ZX Flux by Adidas with evening wear on herself.

2014/15 and summer/spring 2015 to cover the increasing demand of our global clientele.

My approach in terms of sports brands in the luxury fashion segment is nevertheless quite cautious. Our focus remains on the hottest runway and key pieces by international designers.”

Luxury Lounge Wear Trend

Even the catwalks of this world adorn themselves with symbols of sportsmanship these days.

Tapered training trousers, jerseys with large printed player numbers, tight-fighting cycling shorts, and cyclist jersey replicas are but a few examples. “The athletification is in full swing!

After the elitist high-couture fashion in recent years, a certain nonchalance and sporty attitude is quite appropriate. However, you don’t want to be seen in old Nike training trousers, but you want to buy a cashmere version by your favourite designer instead”, says Julia Freitag. Justin O’Shea sees enormous future potential in this segment: “For the coming seasons, one could observe clear trend towards luxury lounge wear. The knitted twin sets we have seen on the catwalks of Marc Jacobs, Haider Ackermann, Céline, and Isabel Marant 414 style in progress

will definitely sell successfully.”

While the large numbers of lifestyle and designer sneakers are still made up by silhouettes from the 70s/80s/90s running, basketball, tennis, and skateboard segments, the designs in the premium range are becoming more technical and modern without drawing optical inspiration from the past. The same applies to jackets and tops. While baseball jackets and oversized sweatshirts on the street still reflect the style of the late 1980s, the catwalks are already turning to the 1990s for inspiration. “Simplicity, masculinity, and the influence of the American pop culture from the 80s and 90s are the elements that connect sportswear with the aesthetics of modern fashion. There is a difference between functional sportswear and women’s fashion. In this case it’s more about the look than functionality. In men’s fashion there is definitely a more noticeable trend towards functional sportswear”, Justin O’Shea says.

And one needs a sure instinct to implement this look in an aesthetic manner. “Naturally, the high-fashion items are the most important factor, while sportswear merely complements the look skilfully. Personally, I would always opt for sportswear with subtle colours and cuts to ensure that a certain timelessness and elegance is retained. Nylon jackets work nicely with elegant dresses, as do cycling shorts with cool oversized blazers. It’s important to have the right mixture”, Julia Freitag explains.

Urban Sportswear and HighTech Outerwear with Clean Silhouettes

“We sell premium basics and technical design classics for men from the sportswear and outerwear segments; they are refined by designers and their labelling or stylistic cross-over gives them their specific USP”, explains Jörg Haas from Berlin-based menswear store Firmament. The customers of Firmament have a high affinity for design, fashion, and art, as well as a feeling for the exclusivity and quality of a product range. In addition to selective lines by Adidas, Nike, and New Balance, the store also stocks, for example, jackets and bags by Acronym from

FASHION 091

Germany, which are manufactured using high-end functional Gore-Tex or Schoeller materials in combination with fastening mechanisms from the military sector. The retail prices for these items start at 300 Euros.

Selectively distributed jackets, blazers, and tops from the Shadow line by the Italian brand Stone Island and the Canadian outdoor label Arcteryx are also part of the product range.

“These high-end outdoor brands appeal to consumers who have more sophisticated standards, a distinct style understanding, and sufficient funds. The distribution is currently based on a pyramid system. Initially, only small top boutiques are supplied with items. However, I do believe that these lines will be available to the broader market and/or via own retail stores in a few years time.”

The skiwear specialist Mountain Force also aims to significantly strengthen its position in the fashion segment and is already working on a corresponding range. “When I took over Mountain Force towards the end of 2010, I was quite aware of the fact that the skiwear market will continue to change. This is why we consciously re-positioned Mountain Force as a premium lifestyle brand. Strategic partnerships with the likes of Porsche Austria, the outfitting of ORF’s sport commentators, and celebrity chef Johann Lafer as our testimonial emphasise the

luxury appeal of our clothing and we are thrilled that our products are not only popular on the ski slopes, but also in urban areas. The main profiteers of the trend towards more technology in fashion are our urban partners, who now supply a clientele which values ultra-light down jackets, shell jackets, and coats without a great affinity for skiing. To take this development into account, we are in the process of expanding our range of technical all-round clothing and will offer significantly more items targeted at fashionable urban customers during our next winter order period”, says Roman Stepek, the chief executive of Mountain Force, while explaining his company’s future strategy.

Jil Sander and Miuccia Prada, who were the first to make the athletic look socially acceptable with designer sneakers and nylon rucksacks, found innovative imitators among designers who committed themselves to the further development of fashion and clothing in general without newly interpreting the looks of bygone eras. Wearing fashionable clothing made of more innovative functional materials is now not merely a commitment to cherished wearability properties, but also a clear signal that the wearer is open to technical innovations.

The style itself is the figurehead.

The Firmament customers of Jörg Haas are not eager to stand out because of a logo, but because of the product itself.

One example is the high-tech urban outerwear by Acronym.

Carlos Alvarez, the New Balance product and key account manager for Switzerland and Austria, promotes the Blue Tab collection, which consists of ultra-light flat racers for everyday use.

Roman Stepek, the chief executive of Mountain Force, is in the process of expanding the technical all-round clothing range for fashionable urban individuals.

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092 MODE

Out now Photos: Bernhard Musil www.b-musil.com Art direction & production: Mody Al Khufash www.jlffstudio.com Hair/Make-up: Kristin Belger Model: Jens Langenfurth @ Kult Model Agency Production assistance: William Schlesinger

Jacket: Peak Performance Windbreaker: Kjus 414 style in progress

MODE 093 Jacket: Drykorn Windbreaker: Kjus Trousers: J Brand

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094 MODE

Jacket: Mountain Force Windbreaker: Kjus 414 style in progress

Jacket: GrundenĂŠs Windbreaker: Uniqlo Trousers: Adidas

MODE 095

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096 MODE

Backpack: C么te & Ciel Jacket: Peuterey Shirt: Nike x Gyakusou Trousers: Closed Socks: Falke Shoes: Asics 414 style in progress

MODE 097

Backpack: C么te & Ciel Jacket: C.P. Company Windbreaker: Patagonia Trousers: Replay style in progress 414

098 MODE

Jacket: C.P. Company Windbreaker: Replay Trousers: Alberto 414 style in progress

MODE 099 Earphones: Coloud Jacket: Minimum Backpack: Dakine Trousers: Sand

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100 IN STORE

Visual Marketing New Focus on Shop Windows Many store owners have realised that well-designed shop windows attract attention and can serve to differentiate their business from the competition. The possibilities of visual marketing expand constantly. Let us illustrate how.

Text: Petrina Engelke. Photos: Galeries Lafayette, Kent Miller Studios for Macy’s, Millington Associates, Prop Studios, Sonja Greimel, Studio XAG

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Shop windows have regained importance of late and their designers are moving with the times.

One of the major future trends is the integration of technology. After all, stores have to deal with competition on all fronts ranging from websites to smart phones. During both online and window shopping, the only thing between the customers and their next It-bag is a screen. Behind a shop window one can create whole worlds in 3D and can extend them into the sales areas. This is a benefit of which more and more stores are taking advantage of.

According to the 2014+ shop fitting monitor of the EHI Retail Institute in Cologne, the expenditures for decoration elements increased significantly last year.

Among the specialised retailers, retail chains, and department stores interviewed by EHI on behalf of Messe Frankfurt for a study titled “Success Factor Shop Window” one target in respect to visual marketing is paramount: differentiation from competitors.

In other words, everyone wants to be better than the competition, even before the customer has entered the store.

This is also reflected by how many stores now use their shop windows to boost their reputation.

Just think about how many large department stores have built an image for having opulent Christmas decorations.

Galeries Lafayette and Macy’s demonstrate how it’s done. Perfectly crafted shop windows have the potential to become integral parts of city tours. However, such an achievement needs to be earned by hard work and one needs surprise effects to draw passers-by out of their daily routines.

Monochrome, colour block, or a contrasting colour with a signal effect? Styling issues are mirrored in shop windows. Unlike on the human body, fashion can be staged in a completely different manner in a shop window. For example, fashion can be displayed without any mannequins at all, but with words, bizarre props, or even architectural structures designed for a single showpiece.

Elsewhere one can find high-tech effects behind the glass. We can see glowing LEDs, watch movies, or even marvel at a decoration choreographed by a computer – not to mention the possibilities of hash tags, QR codes, and motion sensors. Shop windows can be transformed into a unique spectacle, which explains why the battle for attention has reached a whole new level. We would like to highlight eight examples from London, New York, Paris, Berlin, and Munich.

IN STORE 101

Co-operation with the Art World. Selfridges/Prop Studios, London

The department store Selfridges in London celebrates a V&A Museum exhibition dedicated to David Bowie with a pop-up shop and specially designed shop windows. The design professionals at Prop Studios created their own technological art pieces based on the shoes worn on stage by the eccentric artist for this occasion. The famous Ziggy Stardust boots in a minimalistic interpretation made of laser cut acrylic are displayed on floating mirrored steps.

The Monochrome Drama of Architecture. Galeries Lafayette, Paris When department stores started to design shop windows at the beginning of the 20th century, they often filled them to the brim with products. This approach is no longer commonplace. In the 21st century it is still common to fill the window, but only to set the stage for a single product. The shop window experts of Galeries Lafayette create the impression of architecture with countless bands to showcase the dress like an icon in a grotto-like space in the middle - all in pure white. style in progress 414

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Fashion in Action. Moncler/Selfridges/Millington Associates, London

Unlike photos in web stores, shop windows can show how fashion can be worn and how it fits into everyday life in 3D. In collaboration with Moncler and Selfridges, the designers at Millington Associates illustrate how skiing fashion looks on the ski lift. Cleverly used LED technology makes the items literally stand out.

New Task for Packaging. Stan Smith & Adidas Originals/Studio XAG, Berlin To use everyday objects for new purposes is not only a trend on the Pinterest boards of DIY enthusiasts. A shop window campaign for Adidas Originals’ collaboration with Stan Smith inspired the creative heads at Studio XAG to play with the shoe boxes. They combine the famous three stripes with the name of the tennis professional in a sports ground-like neon colour; it is placed between stacks of shoe cartons and provided with a hash tag.

Note: If you want to surprise onlookers with your shop window, it makes sense to think outside the box once in a while.

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Scissors and Wordplays.

Stella McCartney/Millington Associates, London “Kids are cool!” - That’s the statement Millington Associates make in this Stella McCartney store. They don’t only say it with words, but also with the surrounding figures. Bunnies and deer are not portrayed in an overly cute manner, but are grown-up design elements that also act as rather unusual clothes rails. The “shape cutting” game also regularly appears in the shop windows in all sorts of variations. A cheap - albeit laborious - way to play the game is with paper.

Pulling an Idea Out of the Bag.

Anya Hindmarch/Prop Studios, London Based on the product, Prop Studios developed an idea for Anya Hindmarch that emanates from the shop window and spreads into the store itself. The visual merchandising specialists take up the domino motif of the “Cascade” bag collection in the shop window by placing dominos that seemingly beg to be knocked over to trigger a cascade. In a video to accompany the campaign they actually do just that, to a stylised Christmas tree made of green dominos.

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOiMulq7InQ

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Contrast Passing Through. Boss/Porsche/Eurotrade Airport Munich/Sonja Greimel, Munich

Several studies indicate that pedestrians in large cities are walking faster than ever, which means that shop windows have to attract attention faster too. Stores located on busy traffic hubs have been aware of this for quite some time. At Munich Airport the visual merchandising of the normally rather clear Boss shop window utilises the signal colour yellow to create an eye-catcher for people who are always in a hurry.

Technological Stories Instead of Products. Macy’s/Paul Olszewski, New York The giant New York-based department store Macy’s marks the festive season by telling its own homely Christmas story in a string of shop windows.

However, nostalgia does have its limits. Award winning shop window designer Paul Olszewski only recently created a product-free wintery fantasy journey by utilising the wondrous world of modern interactive technology. The installation allows you to trigger glittering stars and snowfall by moving your arms vigorously while LED lights mirror the silhouettes of onlookers.

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im gespräch 105

“A Monitor in a Shop Window is not a Digital Campaign” Christoph Stelzer designs and produces retail concepts for stores and shop windows. Together with the two managing directors Nadine Frommer and Fabian Stelzer, as well as the 50-strong dfrost team, he works for fashion and lifestyle brands such as Swarovski, Porsche Design, and Tommy Hilfiger.

In this interview Christoph Stelzer reveals what is important for a successful shop window campaign.

Interview: Petrina Engelke.

Photo: Ramon Haindl

Mr Stelzer, you specialise in Retail Identity. What exactly does this term mean?

We define Retail Identity as the composition of the overall appearance for a brand directly at the point of sale. It’s the creation of a PoS fingerprint, so to speak.

Brands are constantly exposed to new trends and influences and are nevertheless - or perhaps for exactly that reason - not allowed to lose their identities.

How can this be achieved?

One needs a clearly defined profile and a holistically implemented concept. The brand itself, the store, brand values, the lifestyle, the claim, and the habit have to be experienceable.

The product range of a store should be perceptible with all senses - from the shop window, via the in-store communication, to brand-specific merchandising.

Small welcoming messages in the form of thematic impulses at the individual contact points at the PoS create a stringent approach to the customer. The act of shopping thus turns into a journey into the world of brands.

Regarding space, a shop window is more limited than a store. How can one create a shopping experience in such a small area?

We don’t go for standard solutions. Let me give an example. A shop window can be structured like a walkable lifestyle magazine.

It would work for many brands to take a more curated approach to shop window design. I mean that one shouldn’t merely showcase a mannequin wearing

Shop windows are his profession. Christoph Stelzer and his team accept every challenge as long as it does not result in a standard solution.

a cool look, but present an entire world. To achieve this, you select exquisite seasonal It-pieces and arrange them as complete key looks within a coherent lifestyle world and as an expression of a certain attitude towards life.

The shop window is capable of communicating competence to the customer as a coherent overall picture by means of curated products and worlds that cross the boundaries of different brands and business segments.

What’s your take on the use of new technologies such as LEDs and computer imaging?

These trends and innovations should be taken seriously.

They should be monitored and integrated, mainly because they add new possibilities to the mix.

However, these technologies are not sole saviours and only develop their full potential when

incorporated into a holistic campaign. A simple monitor in a shop window cannot be defined as a digital campaign.

The analysis of the current PoS presence of a brand is one of your first steps. What is the most noticeable trend in that respect?

There are concepts that have been implemented perfectly.

You can see how every item turns into something you would like to take home. However, we do often identify a string of shortfalls too. Customers expect shopping experiences that are exciting and emotional. They want stories worth remembering that can be shared within their own community. This is the only way to build brand loyalty towards a store, turn products into “love marks”, and generate more revenue. style in progress 414

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All Good Things Come in Threes Trias/Pfäffikon. Shoes, custom-made cowboy boots, and accessories form the trinity (in Latin: trias) on which the boutique of Markus Keller and Claudia Rindlisbacher has based its success despite the fact that the business is not located in a prominent area.

Text: Dörte Welti. Photos: Trias

Pfäffikon lies at the top end of Lake Zurich, approximately 35 kilometres away from the bustling fashion metropolis Zurich.

The inhabitants of Zurich tend to consider this too far away to bother. However, those who do come up to acquire exclusive fashion, shoes, and accessories know why they do bother, especially as customers can find what they can’t get anywhere else.

Down-To-Earth Decisions

“For a business as small as ours, the rent in Zurich is quite simply unaffordable”, Markus Keller explains while talking about the opening in Pfäffikon in 2007.

“In addition, we were already running a showroom close by.”

The two fashion enthusiasts had something to offer. Markus Keller has always been a foot specialist. “It’s crazy that people give so little quality to the part of their bodies that keeps them going during the day and their entire life”, he muses. The man certainly knows what he’s talking about. His career basically began on foot. Markus Keller’s first job concerned ski boots. In the 1980s, ski boots were a big thing in the ski racing industry, but fairly unattractive to the mass market. As a freelance commercial traveller for ski boots, he One heart & two shops - Markus Keller is a fashion retailer through and through, while Claudia Rindlisbacher continues to run her real estate business alongside the boutique.

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almost single-handedly established the entire market for the product and his reputation as a foot specialist led to the golden opportunity to enter an agency that was experiencing the hype of its life with Timberland and Sebago shoes, the always trendy marine footwear brands. A little later Markus Keller encountered Allen Edmonds, which has the motto “The Great American Shoe Company”. This is when the penny dropped. High-end and partly welted shoes are big business.

Dedication to Quality

The location in Pfäffikon was initially solely dedicated to shoes and accessories. Markus Keller is still the distributor of Allen Edmonds and has since added Fratelli Borgioli - yet another luxury footwear brand - to his portfolio. When traders announce themselves, the boutique is partially cleared and simply transformed into a showroom.

So what about the customers?

“Our customers come from far afield”, state Markus Keller and Claudia Rindlisbacher. “Not least because we have - for Swiss standards - compelling arguments such as direct motorway access and parking spaces in front of the door.” However, the customers no longer only come for the shoes. A shared desire for handmade things, enthusiasm for crafts, and passion for sustainable products have led to Markus Keller and Claudia Rindlisbacher adding more and more fashion items to their product range. The two go travelling whenever possible. They don’t travel as a leisure activity, but to visit all their suppliers. Actually, they have only been on one proper holiday in the seven years since opening their store. “We want to know exactly which leather is used for our handmade cowboy boots”, the couple explains. “That’s why we travelled to Texas and watched how they specifically select the leather for our order.”

The retail prices for the boots in question are in the four digit price range. Such prices need to be transparently explained and with a clear conscience - to

the customers, who repay such dedication with loyalty.

No Customer Betrayal

“We sell quality”, Markus Keller muses. “I am not capable of anything else.” However, he is quite good at representing values such as never staging a sale in the same season. He believes such a move would betray both the customer and the product. And Markus Keller has an understanding of geometry too. “High heels need a specific geometry, otherwise they simply don’t work”, the specialist says. Women who complain about aching feet after two or three hours in pumps may want to travel to Pfäffikon to find out more.

Boutique Trias Huobstrasse 10, 8808 Pfäffikon/Switzerland www.boutique-trias.ch Opening: February 2007 Owners: Markus Keller, Claudia Rindlisbacher Employees: 2 Sales area: 300 sqm Brands for women: 0039 Italy, 1947 andreas, 7 for all Mankind, Artigiano, Canada Goose, Exit Brooklyn, Handstich, Hemisphere, John Smedley, Meindl, Nationality, Oleana, Pamela Henson, Reptiles House, Uli Schneider, Wallmann, Zimmerli Brands for men: AD.M, Canada Goose, Eton, Handstich, Jacob Cohen, John Smedley, Meindl, Nationality, Reptiles House, Tardini, Silverking Shoe brands: Allen Edmonds, Baldinini, Cesare Paciotti, Francesco Benigno, Fratelli Borgioli, Ilse Jacobson, John Grey, Pura Lopez, Stallion, Swims

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Multi-talented - The room with the large table is transformed into a showroom when customers come to order shoes. The fashion items are removed and replaced with high-end shoes. Now that’s truly flexible.

Stylistically confident - The customers who travel here have no interest in rushing in and out of the shop. They take their time and like chilling out in the comfortable couch lounge.

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108 IN STORE

Coherent presentation - casual country style meets traditional English interior design.

Beautiful Eppendorf Conrad Hasselbach Shoes & Garment/Hamburg. After fourteen years, Conrad Hasselbach has finally relocated his shop specialising in English fashion, ethnology, aesthetics, design, and footwear to the Klosterstern in Eppendorf.

Text: Kay Alexander Plonka.

Photos: Conrad Hasselbach

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It is easy to spot the clinkered storefront with the huge golden Conrad Hasselbach lettering from the two-lane roundabout on Klostersternplatz. The location is easily accessible in general: the subway trip from the city centre to the store takes no longer than seven minutes.

The move from the old premises, which are a mere stone’s throw away, had many benefits. It is now much easier to see the store and its much larger shop windows from the street, the sales area is much larger, and there is also more room for the changing rooms. The store is still not stocked in a minimalistic manner, but that isn’t Conrad Hassel-

bach’s maxim. The blue-painted walls and the Tricker’s boxes in the front part of the shop seem as if they were made for each other. The sales counter, which is decorated with striped wallpaper, fits in seamlessly too. Wherever you look you see colourful handbags and shoulder bags, as well as travelling luggage by John Chapman. Here and there one can spot purple, yellow, and red rifle and shotgun bags. “Today, nobody wants to march into the forest with Hermann Göring loden”, says owner Conrad Hasselbach with a smile. He adds: “Wearing colours actually used to be a privilege reserved for the upper classes.”

Almost Unique Retail Culture

“Here in the heart of Eppendorf 80% of the stores are owner-managed. In the city centre it can’t be more than 20%. This leads to a location tourism that can be quite beneficial. Eppendorf has developed into a brand in its own right and everyone here hopes that it will remain that way for a long time and that no vertical retailers barge in. This district offers an opportunity to live and work at a very high level. It boasts a diverse selection of excellent restaurants and also a lot of interesting specialised retailers - not only from the furniture, textile, and food segments - within a very large area

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Newer, larger, and more beautiful – the new Conrad Hasselbach store on Klostersternplatz in the Eppendorf district.

that stretches as far as Eimsbüttel. Here you can leisurely move around all day on foot or by bike and shop at the highest level within established structures.

Something like this is almost unique in modern Germany.”

Casual Chic Meets Formal Classics

The product range for both men and women spans from casual to classic. Alongside sportswear

by Woolrich, Mason’s, Nabholz, Ten C, and Nigel Cabourn, one can also find formal jackets and trousers by Sheppard & Jones or more traditional outfits suitable for the Hanseatic wedding clothing culture and garden parties next to the canals of the Alster river such as morning coats and striped trousers by Magee. Cufflinks, handkerchiefs, and even crochet flowers for the buttonhole - Hasselbach stocks

all these products in a classic version and in a tongue-in-cheek interpretation. “We have cufflinks with skulls or beer bottle motifs on them. Car topics such as tachometers and gearboxes are particularly popular at the moment, the same as slogans”, the businessman from Hamburg reveals.

Hasselbach started an online store three and a half years ago and the website only recently underwent an interface redesign.

“We have built a good customer base. The site caters for many shoe buyers who already know their exact size and model preferences and simply want to order a new pair in a different colour”, he explains.

Owner Conrad Hasselbach is thrilled to offer his customers a new look & feel both online and offline.

Conrad Hasselbach Shoes & Garment GmbH Klosterstern 2 20149 Hamburg/Germany www.conradhasselbach.de Opening: October 2013 Owner: Conrad Hasselbach Sales area: 90 sqm Brands: Baracuta, Hunter, John Chapman, John Spencer, Lavenham, Magellan & Mulloy, Nabholz, Nigel Cabourn, Sebago, Sorel, Stutterheim, Ten C, Tricker’s, Woolrich

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Bicycles on the wall on the upper floor remind the visitors that Kinfolk offers more than just fashion.

This shelf displays cosmetics, accessories, and second-hand items belonging to the owners. Nothing is there for purely decorative purposes.

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IN STORE 111

The Paris-Tokyo-Brooklyn Connection Kinfolk Store/ Brooklyn. In their fashion store, a highly active international lifestyle collective agreed on a clear aesthetic orientation.

Text: Petrina Engelke, Photos: Kinfolk

We see a record player, a bicycle on the wall, Japanese jackets, colourful socks, and vintage design magazines. On first glance this may seem like yet another hipster store in the over-trendy Williamsburg neighbourhood, but this shop actually has a long, branched, and worldly history.

The story begins in a bar in Tokyo’s Nakameguro district.

The Kinfolk Lounge is a meeting place for cool young Americans and Europeans who are travelling or working abroad. The Kinfolk founders want to offer products and services that they are looking for themselves in vain, such as custom-made bicycles which are manufactured by a Japanese master of his craft.

From Expat Venue to Fashion Store

After moving to Brooklyn (the mother cell in Tokyo still exists) they still have no trouble finding work to do - and followers. A combination of coffee shop, restaurant, and bar is once again a meeting point for like-minded people. The bicycles are being shipped to buyers all over the globe and the in-house design agency of the Kinfolk team does commissioned work for clients such as the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The store also added men’s fashion to his repertoire at the beginning of the year.

“As soon as we like something and believe it could make sense

The Kinfolk logo is the only thing that points the way to the boutique. The bustling bar is located right next door.

in respect to our business, we think about how we could integrate it into the Kinfolk brand”, says Jay Perie. In Brooklyn, the Frenchman was reunited with his friends from the bar in Tokyo, joined the Kinfolk team, and is now responsible for the fashion store. “I’ve never had this much creative freedom when it comes to fashion”, explains Perie. He previously worked in the fashion marketing industry for companies such as Tokyo-based label Bedwin & The Heartbreakers.

Selected items of that collection are now on display in the Kinfolk store. The Parisian label Bleu de Paname was, however, not brought into the shop from his homeland. He only discovered it during his time in Japan and asked friends to make contact before the grand opening of the store in Brooklyn. “I make contact with many designers via the friends of friends”, Perie laughs.

to sell, Perie explains. These little peculiarities are what ensure that the Kinfolk boutique is also a meeting point for like-minded people. Soon they can turn night into day, as the space behind the avant-garde wooden wall designed by Kinfolk is currently being turned into an event hall.

Style Guide - Outdoor, Avant-garde, Heritage

Compared to this fairly casual approach, the product range of Kinfolk is subject to rules that seem fairly strict. Even though the brand owners all have differing clothing styles and could not agree on more than the term “authentic”, the store should still always follow clear aesthetic rules. Perie defines the three directions as Outdoor, Avant-garde, and Heritage. Perie believes that there are hardly any men who still wear one style exclusively.

The fact that Kinfolk is currently only offering men’s fashion is down to the collective members.

“Men’s fashion is quite simply what we do best”, says Perie. The shelf at the side of the store is where it gets very personal. Most of the items on display there are from the households of the Kinfolk team and are actually for sale. The range includes a ceramic rabbit, a toy truck, old records, chic yellowed card decks, and a Polaroid camera. The shelf also houses Playboy cufflinks that the owner doesn’t really want

Kinfolk Store 94 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249 Tel. +1 347-689-4939 http://kinfolklife.com/94wythe Opening: January 2014 Employees: 4 Sales area: approx. 110 sqm (approx. 1,200 square feet) Men’s brands: AXS Folk Technology, Bedwin & The Heartbreakers, Bleu de Paname, Brown’s Beach Cloth, Kinfolk, Knickerbocker MFG, La Paz, Lewis Leathers, Mt. Ranier, Maharishi, Maiden Noir, Metaphore, Shanana Mils ,Wings + Horns, The Wyler Clothing Co. Cosmetics and accessories brands: Emgie Libris, Etiquette Clothiers, Kinfolk, Maiden Noir, Portland General Store, retaW aoyama/tokyo, Superior Vintage, Tomahawk Canvas & Leather, Vacant, Zuni Tribe Jewelry, and others

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112 IN STORE

Shopping with Zoo View Bikini Berlin Concept Mall/Berlin. Berlin has one less permanent construction site. Opposite the church known as “Gedächtniskirche” (where construction is still ongoing) and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Bikini Berlin opened Germany’s first self-proclaimed “Concept Shopping Mall”.

Text: Kay Alexander Plonka.

Photos: Franz Brück

Early April, when the grand opening was celebrated after 39 months of construction work, the mayor was naturally in a celebratory mood too. “After the Zoo Palast and the 25hours hotel set new standards in the City West district, I am looking forward to the opening of the successfully restored and modernised Bikini building on the Breitscheidplatz”, says Reinhard Naumann, the district mayor of Berlin Charlottenburg-Wilmers­ dorf.

Destination Zoo

“Unlike traditional shopping centres, Bikini Berlin offers an entirely new shopping experience due to its unique architecture, as well as its carefully selected and matched boutiques, concept and flagship stores, and gastronomy and service suppliers”, explains Kai-Uwe Ludwig, a member of the Bayerische Hausbau management.

Nearly 300,000 visitors attended the opening weekend, which was turned into a four-day shopping

marathon, due to shops also opening on Sunday. They all came to marvel at Germany’s first concept mall and its architectural highlights.

“We are thrilled that the residents of Berlin have welcomed Bikini Berlin with such overwhelming enthusiasm. It is our aim to bridge the gap between city and nature, as well as consumerism and recreation”, Ludwig explains. Alongside the 14x4 metre panoramic window in the large hall on the ground

Shopping with a panoramic view - The Boxes on the ground floor offer smaller brands and young designers an opportunity to temporarily showcase their work in the Bikini building.

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IN STORE 113

floor and its view of the so-called Affenfelsen, the freely accessible 7,000 square metre roof terrace with a view of the outdoor enclosure of Berlin’s zoo proved to be particularly popular.

Retail Future

The operators of the concept mall are targeting a demanding, trendy, and style conscious international audience with high standards regarding quality and shopping experience. In addition, the shopping centre houses a large area for events and exhibitions.

The concept of Bikini Berlin aims to ensure continuous change and intends to remain both surprising and flexible.

Twenty small pop-up stores called “Boxes” - can only be rented for up to a year, which offers a platform for smaller brands such as German Garment, young designers, and concepts like Macaron Manufaktur Makrönchen.

With the Supernova concept store, located at the western entrance, Bikini Berlin wants to establish an experimental area for pioneering retail ideas. The aim is to redefine the function of retailing in our digital age. Supernova is managed by the creative agency Kemmler Kemmler, whose aim is to connect new partners for every season. The first project, which will run until the 13th of July 2014, was

Yet another reason to “travel” westwards for locals and tourists alike.

jointly organised by Berlin-based store Firmament and Nike. In the wake of the Football World Cup in Brazil, it showcases an exclusive selection of street wear and sportswear under the banner of “Future of Football”. The store was equipped with audio systems by Teufel and screens by Samsung.

The new boulevard of Berlin - The flight of stairs leads directly to the large roof terrace.

Simply Berlin

Is this one of those continuous success stories? Not quite: even four weeks after the grand opening some shop units were still closed or not rented out.

The operators hope to achieve full occupancy by December 2014. The 58 shop units include many brands and retailers from the fashion industry, but also beauty, food, and technology specialists such as the flagship store of Berlin-based hi-fi expert Teufel. One of the most notable representatives from the design and art world is a large store of Berlin-based publisher Gestalten Verlag with an adjoining cafe.

The portfolio is complemented by the Berlin-based coffee shop chain Einstein Kaffee, a Block House restaurant, a Kaisers supermarket, and a Cyberport branch.

Sierra Germany GmbH Bikini Berlin Centermanagement Budapester Str. 44 10787 Berlin/Germany www.bikiniberlin.de Opening: April 2014 Owner: Bayerische Hausbau GmbH & Co. KG Centre manager: Ted Walle Fashion stores: Adddress Gallery, AM+, Andreas Murkudis, Anna Kraft, Aspesi, Bagatt Shoe Shop, Carhartt, Closed, Drei, Fashion & Furniture Concept Store, Firmament, Ganni, Gant, Mauro Grifoni, Mykita, Naracamicie, Odeeh, Parosch, Premiata, Riccardo Cartillone, Schiesser Artists for Revival, Supermarket, Umasan, Vans Zooperstore

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114 IN STORE

Exquisitely curated on all levels - “The Steffl� has been given a face worthy of a department store with international ambitions.

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IN STORE 115

Viennese Shopping Landmark Reloaded Steffl Department Store/Wien. Steffl Department Store Vienna continues to position itself as a luxury location with high design demands and a hand-picked high-end product range.

Thomas Köckeritz, the creative director in charge of the redesign and restructuring, has one goal in mind: To give the Steffl a soul of its own.

Text: Anneliese Ringhofer.

Photos: Julia Stix, Steffl

The “Steffl” in Kärntner Strasse has - just like its namesake, the nearby cathedral - a long tradition. But let us focus on the more recent past. In 2007, entrepreneur Hans Schmid bought the long-established department store. In 2009, German creative director Thomas Köckeritz was hired to oversee the repositioning and realignment. His first impression: “The house lacked soul; the individual brand portfolios and product segments had absolutely no points of contact.”

The declared goal of the relaunch is to establish Steffl as a superordinate and homogenous umbrella brand. This brand now entails 13,000 square metres of sales area spread out over nine floors with a comprehensive range of designer fashion for women, men, children, and babies, as well as shoes, accessories, lingerie, and even a perfumery. Parts of the retail area are self-managed, while the rest is leased out to partner companies.

The various clusters are gradually transformed into individual lifestyle worlds together with renowned architects.

Harmony and Luxury

Köckeritz’s first project as creative director was opened to the public in August 2010; the luxury shoe store “The 6th Floor”, conveniently located on the 6th floor, was designed in collaboration with the architects of Vienna-based BWM Architekten. In the same year, Steffl Textilhandels GmbH opened the young contemporary fashion and jeans pop-up store “District 1” one floor below. “The success was so great that we extended the concept to the entire floor area”, Köckeritz explains. Today, “District 1” houses no less than 60 trend and cult brands. The next step was the transformation of the ground floor. The new open entrance area and the 600 square metre bag area was designed

by Venetian architect Paolo Lucchetta. “Paolo Lucchetta is the source of inspiration for the

formal redesign of the building.

We follow up on his perfectly structured seamless flow retail design on the other floors”, Köckeritz says. In May, the area with sunglasses, watches, and costume jewellery, which - like the bags section - is managed by the in-house Accessories GmbH, was given a facelift. Thomas Köckeritz: “We developed a very Viennese shop design with BEHF Architekten.” The design refers to the facade of the “Mozarthof ” with its (allegedly) last surviving original Mozart bust.

Status Quo and Future Plans

In August this year, the Sky Restaurant on the top floor, which is managed by a separate company that also runs the Sky Bar, wants to establish itself as a culinary fashion hotspot. At the same time, the 600 square metre lingerie studio, which was designed as a large comfort zone by a group of London-based architects, will open its doors to the public. “Anyone who thinks it resembles a boudoir is completely wrong”, Köckeritz makes clear. This area is also based on the historic ambience of W. A. Mozart, who once resided on the same floor of the building. A piano plays a central role in the furnishing concept. “So far there is no lingerie and stockings department in the German-speaking world that can rival ours regarding exclusivity”, the creative director claims. However, this is not the end of the remodelling plans. The women’s and men’s department will be tackled in 2015. Furthermore, the team is still working on plans for the basement, which was so far used for designer sales and as sales floor for men’s bags and travel luggage.

Terrace with a view of Vienna‘s „Stephansdom“, which gave the department store its name.

Kaufhaus Steffl Betriebs AG Kärntner Strasse 19, 1010 Vienna/Austria www.steffl-vienna.at Opened 1895/96 as Warenhaus M. Neumann; Kaufhaus Steffl from 1961 onwards; Steffl Department Store Vienna from 2007 onwards Chairman: Mag. Albert Löcker Employees: approximately 250 Sales area: 13,000 sqm

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116 editor'S Letter /// about us

Publisher, editorial office, advertising department and owner UCM-Verlag B2B Media GmbH & Co KG Salzweg 17, 5081 Salzburg-Anif Austria T 0043.6246.89 79 99 F 0043.6246.89 79 89 office@ucm-verlag.at www.ucm-verlag.at Management Stephan Huber Nicolaus Zott

Editors-in-chief Stephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at Martina Müllner martina.muellner@ucm-verlag.at Art direction/production Elisabeth Prock-Huber elisabeth@ucm-verlag.at

Throwaway (Un)culture

I

t is not really important whether the repeatedly emerging Primark labels containing the cries for help of the modern slaves in the sewing batteries of globalisation are authentic or mere activism. Nobody has the shadow of a doubt that the circumstances these labels denounce exist in that form or are even worse. All this more than one year after the logical disaster of Sabhar, where greed claimed the lives of more than 1,100 and injured more than 2,000 human beings when the Rana Plaza building collapsed. We can all remember the hasty PR statements issued by the likes of KIK, Primark, and Walmart. They were full of (probably feigned) shock and largely empty promises. Half of the 29 companies that promoted exploitation and worse at Rana Plaza haven’t yet contributed a Cent to the muchheralded compensation fund for the victims. The cynicism behind this mixture of sitting it out, pseudo action, and blaming third parties is indeed breathtaking, but sadly the trust of these cynics in the ethical short-term memory of the majority of the consumers is completely justified. In a throwaway culture, even a human being is a disposable item.

The throwaway mentality, i.e. the reduction of clothing to 414 style in progress

disposable goods, is a problem - possibly even the most central one - of our industry for many reasons. That’s why I was fairly critical when H&M started its designer capsules with Karl Lagerfeld in 2004. These collaborations may be ingenious from the viewpoint of the Swedish fashion giant, but they had a devastating effect on the mindset of consumers. The collections weren’t bad, but they convinced those, who don’t question the interrelation between product and price, that everything that is expensive is basically an immoral rip-off.

Countering the constant feeling of being ripped-off with a hunt for cheap offers has become a sort of capitalism criticism of the man on the street.

The wonderful Dries van Noten, the son of a gentlemen’s outfitter and grandson of a tailor, summed it up perfectly in an interview published by SZ. “19 Euros for a shirt at H&M - I’m sorry, but for that price we can barely get the buttons.” Granted, this may sound a little “out there” and Dries van Noten certainly doesn’t embody the real and/or realistic (consumption) world of 95% of the population. However, his casual statement does explain a lot.

Those who offer quality service, are allowed to - or even have the duty to - charge an appropriate

price. Consequently, those who demand quality service, should have the respect to pay accordingly. This would be such a simple cure for the plague caused by our throwaway culture. And, on top of all that, I hope that Austria becomes the Costa Rica of 2018. No… I'm actually not that pessimistic.

Stephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at

Contributing writers Isabel Faiss Petrina Engelke Mody Al Khufash Ina Köhler Nicoletta Schaper Kay Alexander Plonka Dörte Welti Katharina Wohlfahrt Photographers/Illustrators Franz Brück David Crookes Sarah Egbert Eiersholt Esther Gebauer Ramon Haindl Stefanie Hilgarth Clemens Kois Andreas Marini Bernhard Musil Chris Rogl Lupi Spum Julia Stix Eva Vasari Graham Wiseman Cathleen Wolf Image editor Anouk Schönemann anouk.schoenemann@ucm-verlag.at Advertising director Stephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at Publisher’s assistant, distribution Sigrid Staber sigrid.staber@ucm-verlag.at Christina Hörbiger christina.hoerbiger@ucm-verlag.at English translations Manfred Thurner Printing sandlerprint&packaging 3671 Marbach, Austria Printing coordinator Manfred Reitenbach Account info Volksbank Salzburg 105 627 BLZ 45010 Next issue 7 January 2015

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