If you’re a regular reader of ours, I think it’s safe to assume that you dream in green. What I mean is: that you try to follow a relatively ecologically-minded lifestyle. Maybe you shop at the bio store and regularly frequent our humble natural cosmetics company. But being friendly to the environment doesn’t just go skin deep, it also covers what you use to cover up. Shopping ethically doesn’t mean you have to end up wearing a brown potato sack. Sacrificing style for sustainability is a thing of the past, and in this series, we intend to show you just that. Each time we promise to bring you a green solution that will clear your conscience, all while giving you head-turning looks.

I discovered the Berlin fashion label FORMAT during fashion week in the Green Showroom. My first thought was—simple, cool, locally produced—this fits perfectly into our Guilt-Free Fashion series. The eco-friendly label was founded in 2008 by Mareike Ulman and is defined by stylish shapes and lines that are clean and casual. Perfect for everyday wear.

A Label with Format

Marieke first became aware of the production and working conditions of the fashion industry during her design studies at the HTW in Berlin.”Before, I used to think that someone puts a piece of fabric into a factory, and in end there would appear a pair of pants. Simple as that.”
It was difficult for her to accept that, in most cases, the reality looks drastically different. She thought: “I’ll do it myself and I’ll do better!” And so thought became action. She used her 5 piece final thesis collection to open a little workshop in 2011, the shop WESEN on Weserstrasse in Neukölln, Berlin. For Marieke, the name FORMAT represents reducing materials to their essence, while “WESEN stands for something with meaning and thought behind it.” Both names fit perfectly.
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The Philosophy

At FORMAT, the collections are not constantly changing, rather, they evolve based off of a temporal concepts. “Our entire collection includes 50 pieces and each season 10 new items are incorporated and 10 old items are transitioned out. These discontinued items aren’t necessarily the oldest, but items that don’t jive any longer or that seem tired and overdone. We all sit around the table and speak about the further development of the collection,”explains Marieke. The Toat-Blouse and the Plum Dress are longtime favorites and already “almost 5 years old.”
On average, the articles cost around 130-170 EUR. The most expensive piece in their collection is a wool coat, priced at 450 EUR. It’s clear, with this price policy that no one is trying to become a millionaire at FORMAT. Sometimes trendy fabrics such as velvet are used for single pieces, but the vast majority of their collection is made up of monochromatic basics. The idea here is to build up a wardrobe that consists of timeless classics that have a modern twist. “I feel that this ethos is a good counterpart to the principles behind fast fashion. Not always new, new, new, but it’s the idea of allowing an article of clothing to become a lasting item in your closet for good, good, good. Long-lasting wear is always better—then you have the option to combine it differently with the rest of your wardrobe and rock it differently from year to year,” the 33-year-old designer and mother-to-be gets straight to the point.

Sustainability and Materials

There are about 15-20 fabric suppliers for FORMAT. All of their cottons are GOTS certified, non-toxic and safe for environment and wastewaster. Additionally, they have a certification that ensures a certain standard for occupational health and safety of factory workers. Their wool is also GOTS certified, although their silk is not. Most of their woven fabrics come from India and their knitted fabrics from Turkey. “As far as the development of eco and fair-trade is concerned, Turkey was involved from the beginning. The manufacturers there were very keen to launch small projects with us.” Since cotton threads aren’t tear resistant, Mareike uses polyester threads (sourced from Saxony) to create the seams on her clothing, as well as standard accessories such as YKK buttons and zippers.
“We have many vegan customers, but being sustainable is simply more important to us. In my opinion, it’s more important to avoid plastic and therefore I usually opt for leather shoes. They last forever and hold up much better than rubber boots running through rough terrains. I’d rather buy high-quality items and know, okay, it will last longer and thus, I will consume less.”

The WESEN Shop

WESEN was one of the first clothing shops on Weserstraße in 2011. Nowadays, the bustling Weserstrasse is known as a hotspot for bars, cuisine and shopping. In addition to their clothing, WESEN also sells accessories, such as the vegan and vegetable-colored shoes from Jonny’s , ten points, and jewelry from BKREB and BAAJ. Right now, there are about 7 people working at FORMAT full and part-time. They even have interns, who will have their first experiences with fashion design. You can still find WESEN on Weserstr. 191 until the end of April, from the beginning of May onwards they’ll be around the corner on Tellstr. 7.

Eco in Berlin

Eco-consciousness has grown significantly amongst customers in recent years. As a result, it’s to Marieke & her team’s sincere delight that more and more people will be finding themselves in a shop that was originally planned as a workshop. “Nevertheless, I think that the media representation [of green consumerism] is larger than the market reality. There are many promises made that are never actualized. People still buy things instinctually, despite their sustainable intentions.” So there is room to grow, she is sure.
“In Berlin, it is super easy to live an ethical and eco-conscious lifestyle—there is an organic shop here, a co-operative there. If you make a little effort, in Berlin you can. Sure, sometimes I also shop at the normal supermarket and when I was a teenager, I was majorly into H&M. I used to think I needed 20 T-Shirts, now I think 5 nicer ones are also O.K.”

On that note, thanks for speaking with us Marieke!