We can find eco-conscious stores in many German cities, such as Kern, Dusseldorf, and Hamburg. You can also find many products with local eco-labels, which are not only available in specialty stores. We asked Glore Hamburg, one of the leading specialty stores handling eco-fashion brands in Hamburg, about the trend for eco-fashion in Germany.
Glore Shop in Hamburg（IMAGE: Courtesy of Glore Hamburg）
— Please tell us about your shop.
Glore Hamburg is one of four Glore concept stores in Germany and is located in a small shopping area called Karolinenviertel. The Glore name is synonymous with globally responsible fashion and we have customers of all ages and types, ranging from students to businessmen.
— What are some of the eco-fashion brands that you have at your shop?
Armed Angels, Studio Jux, A Question Of, Knowledge Cotton Apparel, Nudie Jeans, Pants to Poverty, ekn footwear, Two Thirds, and L’herbe Rouge. The Brands that we work with must be organic and fair, and all of these brands are eco-conscious.
German brands that we recommend will be, Wunderwerk, Armed Angels, Treches, Slowmo, Minga Berlin, Bleed, Recolution, ekn Footwear.
— What are the most popular products/brands among your customers?
The most popular product is mainly streetwear. For brands, it is hard to say, but for men, ‘Knowledge Cotton Apparel’ would probably be the favorite, because they are one of the biggest labels. Customers can also find them in conventional fashion stores, so they don’t really have an eco-image, which can be a sales argument.
— Is eco-fashion popular in Germany?
We feel that the topic is definitely growing in popularity. Television broadcasters are starting to pick up the topic more and more and you can notice a growing awareness of eco-fashion within our society. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement.
Most of our customers are aware of the fact that we are an eco and fair trade concept store, so there are a lot of people who come to us in order to buy eco-friendly apparel. However, I do not believe that there is a general awareness of eco-friendly apparel within German society. Despite this, the topic is continually growing in popularity and therefore I think that awareness will too.
— What are the topics that are especially popular relating to eco-products?
Most of our customers want to be sure that no one is exploited during the production chain, so fair trade is definitely a big issue. However, sustainability is also of concern, for example the use of harmful chemicals.
— What do you think is needed to make eco-fashion more popular?
A young and cool image. There should be no visual difference between “conventional fashion” and eco-fashion. Many people still associate eco-fashion with something that is unfashionable, unstylish and old-fashioned.
— How do you convey the idea of “eco-fashion” through your shop?
We actually do not really promote the fact that we are a fair trade and eco-friendly fashion store inside the shop. But there is a logo, which reads “bio, fair fashion” on the outside.
— As a retailer, what advice would you give to enable a brand to become successful?
A good level of customer service is definitely very important. Nothing is worse than bad communication between the retailer and the brand manufacturer when it comes to questions, customer complaints and other issues.
GLORE HAMBURG Address: Marktstr. 31, 20357 Hamburg Tel: 040-35777650 Website: http://www.glore-hamburg.de/ →GLORE SHOPLIST
