The point is, starting a 100% sustainable business is not that easy. The solution is not to replace cotton with organic cotton and that’s it. We wanted to think further and change things for the long term. Topics like multi-functionality, reduction, care, durability and much more have to be considered as well if we want to act sustainably. Our current collection is made in Germany from an Italian material that is easy to care for, quick drying and wrinkle free. We have reduced all sizes that are available on the market to three sizes. At Project Autark, there are no gender-based standards. We keep a piece in our range for at least a year and don’t throw it into the depths of sale madness after two months. And we focus on multi-functionality, meaning our pieces can usually be transformed and worn in different ways. So it is possible for us to present a small but useful assortment that helps everyone to make his everyday life a little easier. Whether man or woman, young or old, thin or wide.

Can you tell us a bit about the inspirations behind this collection showcased here in our pictures and the song featured in the video?
We both love the cut of Japanese classics like the kimono. In general, you could find an affinity to Japanese aesthetics in our collection.
First and foremost, however, we think about function and utility… quite unromantically. We ask ourselves what our customers might need. In the process, we look at society, the zeitgeist, … earth-shattering things. Significant topics like a pandemic or “Black lives Matter” of course play a very big role for us. In addition, banal topics such as the current season and of course our personal inclination to certain cuts and functions. We ask ourselves what people are currently preoccupied with, what do they feel, what do they need, what scares them?
Covid… “The theme is pride and humility…A paradox that is reflected in each of us during an all-changing pandemic. And there you go, a song can be produced. While with our collection, it’s usually not that simple. Tailoring in a gender-neutral way is complicated. We rarely design freely, because we always have to create so that the body, regardless of gender, can be shown from its best side and especially feel comfortable. Somehow it is always a mix of multi-functionality, tailoring and minimalism that leads to the result of a design.
You start from a vision and you are guided by your own rules to a new, unexpected but wonderful point.

Any future plans you would like to share with us?
Topics like our digital presence and the connection between fashion and music are at the forefront. So far, this has unfortunately come a bit short, but we are working with wonderful people who are helping us to connect both media more obviously. We also want to add new materials to our range and focus even more on multi-functionality. We will see what challenges and opportunities the new year brings.