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Another project on the circular economy at GERRY WEBER: students develop new products from surplus material

August 24, 2021

Halle/Westphalia, 24 August 2021 – Circularity is currently one of THE buzzwords in the fashion industry. What to do with leftovers, production remnants, returns - this is the question almost all fashion companies have to ask themselves in order to survive on the market in the future. At the GERRY WEBER Group, too, the topic of circular economy forms an important part of its own sustainability strategy. One of the projects in this context is the cooperation with the Academy of Fashion & Design (AMD).

"Destruction was yesterday, today we recycle" - in line with this guiding principle, 41 students from the "Fashion and Product Management (M.A.)" and "Fashion and Retail Management (M.A.)" degree programmes developed eight upcycling fashion concepts in cooperation with GERRY WEBER. The Master's students were faced with the challenge of conceiving and designing possible uses for surplus and returned material from GERRY WEBER. The aim was to develop holistic concepts based on remnants and fabric scraps from the three brands GERRY WEBER, TAIFUN and SAMOON in order to be able to put them to sensible use in the future in terms of the circular economy. The results, presented by the students at the end of July, were able to convince the jury - consisting of teachers from the AMD as well as executives from GERRY WEBER: "It is incredibly inspiring what such young people see in our products and our brands," said Angelika Schindler-Obenhaus, as CEO of GERRY WEBER, also part of the jury. "The topic of circular economy is immensely important for our industry, but at least as challenging. Especially in view of this constellation, we have to leave well-trodden paths, develop new ideas and also keep trying something new."

Whether classic upcycling, the introduction of statement collections or the development of new products: No limits were set for the project participants in the creative process. "What distinguishes our teaching and studies at AMD is precisely the combination of scientifically and socially relevant topics with our own problem-solving skills. The students demonstrated this in this project with their own product know-how and transferred it into reality," says Fashion & Product Management Dean of Studies Prof. Peter Schmies, who led the interdisciplinary project.

A jury selected two winning projects from the diverse concept proposals. Some of the approaches will serve the GERRY WEBER Group as orientation for a future upcycling strategy. For marketing professor and juror Dr. Marion Steffen, this is the special feature of the cooperation. "The combination of the relevant and current topic of the options of circularity in the fashion sector with an approach that can also lead to a repositioning in terms of marketing strategy has created the excitement in this project."

About the GERRY WEBER Group
Headquartered in Halle/Westphalia, GERRY WEBER International AG is one of the largest fashion and lifestyle companies in Europe with about 2,300 employees worldwide. The company sells trend-oriented modern classic mainstream fashion in 59 countries. In addition to the GERRY WEBER brand, the GERRY WEBER Group also owns the younger TAIFUN brand and the plus-size brand SAMOON. For more information, visit www.gerryweber.com

About the AMD Academy Fashion & Design
The AMD Akademie Mode & Design develops educational programmes for the creative industries. For over 30 years, it has offered accredited Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes as well as recognised training and further education and qualifies students in the fields of fashion, design, communication and management. More than 2,200 students are currently trained at the locations in Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Wiesbaden, Munich and Berlin. AMD is the founding faculty of the Fresenius University of Applied Sciences - one of the largest and oldest private universities in Germany. www.amdnet.de

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