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What does it mean to belong? It is a feeling of fitting in, of participation, of joint ownership and of home. When we look at the local landscape of fashion’s industry and culture in Germany, are all welcome to participate, and does the industry and mainstream culture invite plural identities? Is fashion diverse, inclusive, and equitable?

This episode shares a panel from the 202030 Pop-up: Culture & Communication, which took place in Berlin on 06/02/2024, and assembled perspectives on fashion that promotes active diversity, equity, and inclusion. Beatrace Angut Oola, the founder and CEO of Fashion Africa Now, Anbid Zaman,...

It’s no secret that fashion has a negative environmental impact through its carbon footprint – and its carbon ‘shoe size’ is one of the largest among all global industries. There are many parallel sustainability initiatives in fashion and textiles, and one cornerstone is the movement towards decarbonization. This episode, our host Max Gilgenmann is joined by experts from Carbon Trust to discuss this emergent action area of positive change.

Laura Van De Ven and Anna Raffaelli are Carbon Trust’s Europe Marketing & Engagement Lead and DACH Regional Manager. The company consults and certifies clients through their process towards decreasing their...

VORN – The Berlin Fashion Hub has been uniting local stakeholders, innovators, and designers for nearly two years. In that time, one of their most noteworthy projects has been the VORN Academy, a program for emerging designers to learn strategies and develop products for a circular fashion ecosystem. The 10 finalists of VORN Academy II: Loom showcased their final pieces during Berlin Fashion Week in February 2024 at VORN. The garments and accessories were paired with a virtual showroom of the work, accessible world wide.

This episode features Marte Hentschel, co-founder and co-CEO of VORN, and Lara Gesche, the Senior...

Another riveting manifestation of 202030 – The Berlin Fashion Summit has come to pass. On 06/02/2024 at Kronprinzenpalais, guests joined us live in Berlin for the 202030 Pop-up: Culture & Communication. The stage program featured speakers leading from the sector of cultural sustainability, and included authors, activists, designers, community leaders, and public personas. Among the highlights was a keynote and book signing from Clare Press, the voice of the Wardrobe Crisis podcast and author of Wear Next.

After the stage program, our audience and speakers convened for a Community Gathering, unpacking the rich content of the program in continued, eye-level...

Following up on our coverage of the Dutch Denim Deal, we now bring you the latest updates on a German Denim Deal. As the groundbreaking coalition for more sustainable denim ripples into an increasingly global scale, our host Max Gilgenmann sits down with two of the leaders of this next chapter to understand the vision and concrete goals of uniting a multi-stakeholder undertaking.

Laura Vicaria, the program manager of the Denim Deal, and Romain Narcy from the steering committee both have their roots deep in denim. Laura, an expert in circular denim, has been working recently as a circularity consultant...

“Sustainability can be lonely,” says Outi Pyy, the Head of Sustainability at IVALO.COM. For brands committed to sustainable development, transforming progressive values into feasible actions is an uphill sprint in our current global economy. And, with a growing customer base who demands radical transparency and a high bar of sustainability in fashion, values-driven brands are under pressure to perform. This, of course, is a positive shift. But IVALO.COM, a Finnish online sustainable fashion retailer, acknowledges the immense challenges that this sector faces.

In this episode, Outi sits down with Max Gilgenmann to talk about IVALO.COM’s unique approach to transparency. Using...

What will be Berlin’s legacy? A mecca for upstarts and start-ups, not to mention international creatives of every discipline, the capital of Germany is positioned to be a global cultural leader in the decades to come. For Sascha Wolf, that vision includes Berlin becoming the global impact capital. In this episode, studio MM04’s Lou Croff Blake talks with Sascha about his vision for Berlin’s future, and the path that led him to a revolutionary approach to networking.

Sascha founded AusserGewöhnlich Berlin in 2009, transitioning from a long career in the world of diplomats. He and co-founder Giada Armani wanted to...

Who is studio MM04? If you follow this podcast, you’ll recognize hosts Max Gilgenmann and Magdalena Schaffrin. But this week, we’re excited to share with you their origin stories, and put our hosts in the spotlight.

Organizers of 202030 – The Berlin Fashion Summit, co-founders of Fashion Revolution Germany, board and jury members for many environmental foundations and awards… the list goes on. Max and Magdalena have astounding career paths that led to the creation of studio MM04, where they now consult brands, start-ups, and the public sector on the sustainable transformation of the fashion industry. The heart and values...

Where do fashion giants stand on sustainability? In this arena of multinational brands, H&M is leading the transformation with its innovative pilots of circularity and new business models. Hendrik Heuermann, the Public Affairs Manager at H&M (Central European Region), sits down with 202030 Podcast host Max Gilgenmann in an honest and engaging talk about how the industry’s major players are tackling sustainable development.

In this conversation, Hendrik and Max touch on different ways that H&M is leading industry sustainability, as well as the greatest challenges. Looking at both sustainable work culture and sustainable consumption culture, what is feasible when influencing...

#connectingprogressiveminds means bringing the right people together – and letting a spark grow! When Dawn Denim and Auf Augenhöhe met at the 202030 Summit: Denim Pop-up last July, they noticed a real alignment in their ideologies for a better fashion industry. Auf Augenhöhe is a brand, agency, and social movement for fashion for people of short stature, producing and raising awareness on adaptive fashion. Dawn Denim, meanwhile, is leading the wave of transparent, ethically produced, environmentally ambitious jeans. Together, they discuss the possibility of creating body-inclusive denim.

This episode brings the two companies into live conversation, moderated by studio MM04’s...