ARMEDANGELS is a

fashion label Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and plac ...

located in

Cologne, Germany Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...

which was founded in the year 2007. The company designs a variety of apparel products made from textiles such as organic cotton and sells them via their online shop as well as in boutiques and major retail stores across six countries. The label creates and produces

sustainable fashion Sustainable fashion (also known as eco-fashion) is a term describing products, processes, activities, and actors (policymakers, brands, consumers) aiming to achieve a carbon-neutral fashion industry, built on equality, social justice, animal w ...

that aims to be both ethical and fashionable, while attempting to appeal to the

LOHAS Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) is a demographic defining a particular market segment related to sustainable living, "green" ecological initiatives, and generally composed of a relatively upscale and well-educated population segme ...

demographic. According to the company, they are attempting to change the perception of eco-friendly clothing from being "

hippy A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

like" and not fashionable to it being perceived as 'hip', 'chic' streetwear. Furthermore, ARMEDANGELS aims to make a social statement about

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

and works exclusively with socially responsible companies that are certified as being

fair trade Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...

. The main goal of their community is to raise awareness about the

fashion industry Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

and what they perceive injustices that arises as a result. The German press has referred to ARMEDANGELS as being "eco warriors in the process of saving the world", who contribute alongside like-minded people including celebrities such as

Natalie Portman Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...

, Leonardo DiCaprio and

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...

History

The company was founded in January 2007 as Social Fashion Company GmbH by two friends, Anton Jurina and Martin Höfeler. In 2009, the founders won the first ever

Wirtschaftswoche ''Wirtschaftswoche'' is a German weekly business news magazine published in Germany. “Wirtschaft” means economy (including business) and “Woche” is week. History and profile For many years, ''Wirtschaftswoche'' was published weekly on ...

Entrepreneur Competition (

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

: Gründerwettbewerb der Wirtschaftswoche) for their business model. In 2020, ARMEDANGELS reported an annual turnover number of € 35 million.

Philosophy

The firm's philosophy is built on three main pillars: #being environmentally friendly, #supporting

, #donating to

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

Staying true to their philosophy they use organic cotton in their clothing, attempt to avoid large shipping distances (to reduce CO₂ emissions), try to pay more than

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...

to their farmers in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, and donate a euro of their profits from every article of clothing sold. ARMEDANGELS collaborates with three

charity organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

Pratham Pratham is one of the largest non-governmental organisations in India. It was co-founded by Madhav Chavan anFarida Lambay. It works towards the provision of quality education to the underprivileged children in India. Established in Mumbai in ...

, Trinkwasserwald, and Viva con Agua.

Collaborations

ARMEDANGELS partners with several other fashion labels such as: Kuyichi, Terra Plana, Stewart & Brown, Fresh Cuts and KnowledgeCotton Apparel. At the end of 2009, the label began collaborations with German actress

Cosma Shiva Hagen Cosma Shiva Hagen () is a German-American actress and voice actress. Although she speaks English, her acting roles have been largely confined to German-language films and television productions. She also starred in an Irish film called ''Shor ...

, German TV star and VIVA veejay

Collien Fernandes Collien Ulmen-Fernandes (born 26 September 1981) is a German TV presenter, VJ, actress and model. Early life Fernandes was born in Hamburg, Germany to a father of Goan Indian origin and a German mother. She has one younger sister, Elaine. Ag ...

. In June 2010 the fashion label teamed up with German Top model

Eva Padberg Eva Padberg (born 27 January 1980) is a German fashion model, singer, and actress. Early life Padberg was born in Bad Frankenhausen and grew up in Rottleben, Germany. In 1995, she applied for ''Bravos ''Boy & Girl'' contest; she made it among ...

and her husband Niklas Worgt. They designed their own

t-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a ''crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are general ...

"Two Hearts - One Rhythm" which is sold online.

Philanthropy

In 2020, ARMEDANGELS donated about € 40,000 to

Extinction Rebellion Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk o ...

Germany, an environmental movement.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Clothing companies of Germany German brands Fair trade organizations Social enterprises Manufacturing companies based in Cologne

History

Philosophy

Collaborations

Philanthropy

See also

References