Ecoalf, Lolo Carolo, Ray Musgo or Nuoo Clothing are just some of the sustainable fashion brands with a Spanish stamp that have conquered the difficult German market. And they have done it with original and quality proposals. A combination that German customers have been able to appreciate, despite having a wide national offer.

"The German customer is more used to finding out what they are buying, they usually look first at the origin of the clothes and what materials they are made of, leaving the price in the background," explains Paloma Rodríguez, CEO of Lolo Carolo, a sustainable brand that was born in 2016 and that sells vegan socks, designed in Spain and made with eco fibers in France and Portugal.

"We create unique, original designs, but always keeping the focus on comfort, durability and sustainability. We love experimenting with different fibers and weaving methods. We weave some models with state-of-the-art machines and other models with machines that are more than a century old. old. The result of this are unique textures and colors," he says.

For this firm, whose name reflects well the carefree character of its designs, "comfort, good design and sustainability are not at odds" and, from the beginning, they were clear that they had to open up to markets "more mature" than Spain in terms of to "environmental awareness".

And one of the countries where customers are most interested in acquiring sustainable fashion, that is, articles produced ethically (that is, with social responsibility) and ecologically (responsible and respectful of the environment) is Germany.

For this reason, three years ago, they decided to make the leap to Berlin. "We are very happy with the reception. It is a market that has allowed us to grow as a brand and underpin the values ​​of sustainable fashion", they say from this firm that always designs two different socks for each pair as "a tribute to diversity, to the beauty of the imperfect".

Although there are more and more sustainable fashion companies in Spain, the truth is that we are still far from countries like Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom... where ecological garments have a large number of faithful. 64.1% of French, German, Italian and English people say they would like to buy items made with eco-friendly materials and 30.1% say they are willing to spend more on them, according to a study by the Première Vision chair at the Institut Français de La Mode.

According to the report The sustainable fashion market in Germany, prepared by the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Düsseldorf, Germany is among the top five countries in the world whose consumers give more importance to sustainability when it comes to to buy clothes. In fact, 29% of Germans consider sustainability to be a very important factor, and 40% consider it relatively important.

"In Germany there is an awareness of the importance of buying sustainable, durable, timeless clothes that are really needed. This is something that obviously has not happened overnight, it is a long process that requires the involvement of all actors in society," argues Rodríguez.

In this country, sustainable fashion is already, therefore, a consolidated reality for a long time, as evidenced by the fact that the most important fairs in this sector are held there. This is the case of Neonyt in Berlin, which has changed its venue this year to Frankfurt.

Precisely at a fair, the Ethical Fashion Show, Ray Musgo was unveiled in Berlin in 2018. Behind this company that manufactures shoes in a sustainable way are Lorena Gasco (chemical engineer) and Javier Sánchez (geologist), two scientists specialized in environment with a "designer soul" who, in 2015, after two years of research, launched a project based on three axes: "Local manufacturing allows us to minimize transport needs and, therefore, CO2 emissions In addition, our way of working allows us to meet practically all the people involved in the making of our shoes and see first-hand how they carry out their work with fair conditions and wages. And, in addition, we use the most respectful materials possible with the environment", explains Gasco proudly.

All with a double objective: that their shoes are as sustainable as possible, but also comfortable.

In addition to Spain and Germany, Ray Musgo also distributes its footwear in Belgium and the Netherlands. Countries in which it is easier to reach the consumer, who has "internalized the habit of consuming organic products, whether in food, fashion, mobility or other daily aspects" and does not need "so much awareness work," says Gasco.

increased competition

Despite the fact that Germany is a market where there is greater competition -it is one of the leading countries in sustainable fashion in the world- with a high concentration of German brands, a context that can make it difficult for foreign companies to enter, the truth is that Spanish companies that are already selling there consider it a good opportunity to expand.

"Although the competition is great a priori, in reality, it is something positive, since the greater the number of sustainable brands present in a market, the greater the awareness at the level of stores and end customers," says Rodríguez.

However, in some products such as footwear, Gasco points out, competition is not as high as in textiles. "In fact, adjusting some aesthetic aspects to the tastes of the German client has surely been more of an obstacle for us than the competition with other firms in the sector," she concludes.

Although after the pandemic, the current times are not the most favorable to open new markets or to establish themselves in them, from Ray Musgo they encourage other Spanish sustainable fashion companies to make themselves known in the German market because, they say, "it deserves the grief". "In addition to his environmental awareness, the German is a client who values ​​quality Spanish products very positively," they point out convinced.

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Another company that has tried its luck in German lands has been Nuoo Clothing. Its CEO, Pilar Bermúdez, decided to bet on the world of sustainable fashion with her own brand after completing a master's degree. She trained in the world of advertising and after working as a freelance designer, she finally saw her dream come true. "From the first moment it was clear to me that I had to make my way outside of Spain. I lived in Germany for a while and I know the market. There the concepts of sustainability and care for the environment are very well established and they highly value a type of design that is I like it," he explains.

"Nuoo", he continues, "is closely linked to my personal vision of the world, so the brand is a reflection of those values ​​of sustainability and local production. They are in its DNA and that vision is applied transversally to all actions of the brand. The way in which we relate to clients and suppliers, the way in which I design the collections, the way in which they are produced and communicated... I always seek to put the human side first and have that coherence more beyond the use of a certain sustainable fabric or material", he specifies.

Her participation in the international reference fair for sustainable fashion Neonyt in 2019 opened the doors not only to Germany but also to other European countries. "Although it is a very demanding market both in terms of materials and production processes, it is a more mature market in terms of sustainable fashion and one that is growing," explains Bermúdez.

In addition, the "good job" that other sustainable Spanish brands have done has helped "so that other brands that come after us find a slightly easier path," she concludes.

Ecoalf, pioneer

Without a doubt, Ecoalf has been one of those Spanish companies that has helped the most to pave the way for its compatriots, being one of the first sustainable fashion brands to have its own store in Berlin.

"In 2017 we saw a very good opportunity and we opened our first international store in Berlin. It is a sustainable store where there is a space dedicated to talks or events that we hold monthly and to which we invite experts to talk about sustainability, fashion, etc. In addition, we have a very good network of agents with great brand ambassadors in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but environmental awareness is at another level in these countries," says Carolina Álvarez-Ossorio, director of marketing and communication at Ecoalf .

The germ of Ecoalf sprouts in 2009 from the hand of Javier Goyeneche, its president and founder. His name represents, on the one hand, ecology and, on the other, the names of his children (Alfredo and Álvaro), as a nod to future generations.

Frustrated by the large amount of natural resources that we use irresponsibly, he decides to create a truly sustainable fashion brand while maintaining design and quality. After years of travel and research on recycled materials, in 2012 he launches the brand and opens his first store.

Today, they sell their products in Europe, Japan and the United States with a presence in multi-brand stores, their own stores and their online channel. They work with about 400 recycled fabrics that come from different materials: terrestrial plastic bottles or those found at the bottom of the sea, nylon fishing nets, recycled wool and cotton, recycled tires...

"We are at a very critical moment, the fashion industry is the second most polluting. For this reason, we have a responsibility that goes beyond mere business. People must be made aware so that they understand the impact behind a garment. We must seek a balance between our present and future needs and the health of the planet, and that is the commitment that underlies everything we do at Ecoalf", defends Álvarez-Ossorio.

Undoubtedly, this environmental awareness is much more present in Germany than in Spain. Therefore, opening a gap in its demanding market is "a challenge but also an opportunity". "It is important to be there if you are a sustainable brand. The world is turning, it is accelerating. The pandemic is allowing everything to go faster in that sense. We are facing a very big challenge, either we change how we are doing things or we don't It's going to go well. Although there are many sustainable brands, it's important to be there. There is more competition but also more opportunity, there is demand for it," concludes Álvarez-Ossorio.

The future of sustainable fashion in Spain

Although within conventional fashion, the Spanish industry occupies an important place in the portfolio of international buyers and enjoys a good image among German manufacturers and consumers, they explain from the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Düsseldorf, what is certain is that "the presence of Spanish sustainable fashion brands in the German market is still quite weak, given the strong recognition and great saturation of German brands in this niche". For this reason, promotional actions such as fashion fairs are considered key for the recognition of the Spain brand.

But, in addition, in order to reach the level of countries like Germany in terms of environmental awareness, they are essential, says Marina López, president of the Sustainable Fashion Association of Spain, which brings together 130 brands, "information campaigns so that The consumer understands that if we want to curb the consequences of excessive consumption on the planet, it is essential to buy less, as well as to give textile waste an outlet and promote its recycling".

And it is that more and more voices are warning within the textile industry sector that the future of fashion goes through sustainability.