Fresh Ideas from Düsseldorf #07
Düsseldorf's start-up scene also has a lot to offer when it comes to fashion. However, anyone who thinks of fashion start-ups only in terms of young fashion labels is short-sighted. Because also beyond classic fashion design, the fashion industry offers plenty of potential for a wide variety of new business ideas. For example, when it comes to the development of innovative materials, more effi cient processes, ideas for more sustainability or new digital channels. The three start-ups we are introducing to you today are also pursuing very different approaches with which they want to make the fashion world a little nicer, more transparent and inclusive. Meet F.L.A.B., retraced and Swilook.
F.L.A.B. CREATES FASHION FOR EVERYONE
The F.L.A.B. team: (from left to right) Felix, Leroy, Melanzio and crouching in front CEO & founder Henry.
Henry Bonsu started designing clothes like t-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, jackets and accessories while he was still at school. His goal: to one day found a famous and influential fashion label. Since these beginnings in 2012, the brand F.L.A.B. - Fly like a bird - has been created piece by piece: streetwear combined with ethnic fabrics and creative designs. "FLAB is for all people, regardless of their skin colour, gender, origin or other stigmas," says Henry. "With our designs, we want to create a new awareness of the intertwining of fashion and culture."
The official launch of the fashion start-up finally took place in 2021 with Henry's partner and friend Melanzio Gebhardt. Henry is the creative head of the company, while Melanzio handles concept and strategy. "We are both very passionate about fashion and have been friends since childhood," Melanzio tells us. "For a long time I had been looking for a way to start my own business and was quickly inspired by Henry's passion project. Now we are working together to establish FLAB in the busy and expansive international fashion world."
After only a few years, the two founders have already made a name for themselves with their brand and were able to wow US rapper Lecrae and German rapper Farid Bang, for example, with their style. Footballers like Youssoufa Moukoko, Erling Haaland and Marcus Thuram also wear FLAB. In late summer, the new collection "HEAVEN AND EARTH" will be released, with which Henry and Melanzio want to further establish the brand. As a multicultural, stylish and hip city, Düsseldorf is just the right place for them. •
F.L.A.B. – FLY LIKE A BIRD, Dülmener Weg 11 / 40472 Düsseldorf
RETRACED INCREASESTRANSPARENCY INSUPPLY CHAINS
CPO Philipp Mayer, CEO Lukas Pünder and CTO Peter Merkert from retraced (from left to right) stand for more transparency in the fashion industry.
Supply chains in the fashion and textile industry should become more transparent - with this goal in mind, Philipp Mayer, Peter Merkert and Lukas Pünder founded their start-up retraced in 2019. Behind it is a holistic digital platform for the management of textile supply chains. "The idea came about through our shoe brand CANO, which Philipp and I had previously founded together," Lukas Pünder explains. "At the time, we wanted to transparently show the special hand production of the shoes in Mexico - but that wasn't so easy. So we developed a technical solution ourselves."
The result is a platform that both brands and suppliers can use to jointly manage their supply chain data, certificates and audits. This saves time and simplifies the process considerably, says Philipp Mayer: "With retraced, processes that often took several days in the past can be completed in a few hours or even minutes. In addition, we bring the different parties closer together on the platform." Already in the first year after its launch, it won the German Sustainability Award in the digitalisation category. Meanwhile, around 60 team members work for retraced, more than 80 brands (including Marc O'Polo, Tom Tailor and Strellson) and over 8,000 suppliers use the platform. In the future, the founders want to further expand their support in dealing with international supply chain laws especially, says Peter Merkert: "We want to enable larger companies in particular to get started with sustainable supply chain management - and thus significantly increase our positive impact in the coming years." •
RETRACED GmbH, Kölner Straße E 336A / 40227 Düsseldorf
SWILOOK EMPOWERS SELF-LOVE
Constantin Wolf, founder of Swilook, wants to connect and inspire fashion-conscious people.
"What should I wear?", " Does this go together?", " Do you think this outfit will be a hit?". When it comes to fashion decisions, there is often a lot of uncertainty. Constantin Wolf wants to counteract this with his app Swilook. The app, whose name is made up of the words "swipe" and "look", allows users to get quick feedback on their own outfits from a large community and discover the latest trends in the fashion world. Upload outfit, swipe, like. Because Swilook is meant to be one thing above all, says founder Constantin: a place of self-love: "Social media can have a downright toxic effect: Discrimination, hate comments, exclusion. That's exactly what we don't want on Swilook. That's why there is no comment function. It's all about fashion inspiration."
With the support of the Gründerstipendium NRW, Constantin launched his app in 2021 - developed in his first own flat, parallel to his business studies. Since then, he has added many new features to the app. For example, outfits can be saved in your own virtual wardrobe and more and more items from other users can be purchased directly via the app. In autumn 2022, the founder was accepted into the K67 Accelerator programme, and in May 2023 the latest version of Swilook hit the app stores. "We want to empower people to feel comfortable with their own style and create a safe space for inspiration and self-expression," says Constantin. "Our goal is to build a strong community nationally and later internationally." •
SWILOOK UG, Erkrather Straße 274, 40233 Düsseldorf
Words Maria Leipold
Pictures PR