How Düsseldorf Is Rethinking Sustainable Style

When you think of fashion in Düsseldorf, chances are the Königsallee is the first thing that comes to mind: international luxury brands, gleaming shop windows and one of Europe’s best-known shopping streets. But there is much more to the city’s fashion scene than the famous Kö. In neighbourhoods such as Unterbilk and Pempelfort, and around Lorettostraße, Nordstraße or Carlsplatz, you’ll find handmade collections, new approaches to conscious consumption and concepts that make fashion more personal, long-lasting and individual.

This is where people are working who see sustainability not as a restriction, but as an invitation to rethink our relationship with clothes. Designer Angelika Kauffmann creates handcrafted collections with a distinctive signature, stylist Uta Engbert of Slowsetter reveals the potential already hiding in our wardrobes, while Heiko Wunder of wunderwerk has been advocating for a more responsible fashion industry for years.

Three conversations, three perspectives, yet one shared conclusion: sustainable fashion doesn’t begin with the next purchase. It begins with an attitude – and sometimes simply with the courage to do things differently.

Uta Engbert, Founder of Slowsetter

For Uta Engbert, style and sustainability have never been mutually exclusive. Several years ago, when she started looking for clothes that reflected her personal style while being made more responsibly, she discovered that the options were limited and often weighed down by stereotypes. That personal search eventually led to Slowsetter. Today, she works with individuals, companies and brands to encourage a more conscious approach to fashion, sharpen their sense of personal style and, above all, rediscover something that is often overlooked: the clothes they already own.

You combine styling with sustainability. How did that come about?

Fashion has always been important to me. My original background is in interior design and the creative field in general. At some point, I realised that my passion for fashion was a perfect match for sustainability.

I started looking for clothes for myself that reflected my style while also being produced more sustainably. A few years ago, that wasn’t particularly easy. I wasn’t interested in eco clichés or boring clothes. I wanted fashion that felt current while still being made more responsibly. To me, those two things have never been contradictory.

My work ultimately grew out of that personal need. Today, I support individuals, entrepreneurs and brands in finding their style or making it more sustainable. Some come to me because they want to become more stylish, others because they want to consume more sustainably. Ideally, the two come together.

You often talk about compromise. Why is that such an important concept for you?

Because I want to meet people where they are. I always begin with what is already there. When we go through someone’s wardrobe together, the first step is to work with what they already own. People often realise that they have far more possibilities than they thought. Only when something is genuinely missing do we talk about adding specific pieces, preferably more sustainable alternatives. But I don’t tell people they have to give everything up or reduce their wardrobe to a 30-piece capsule collection. I love variety myself. What matters much more to me is how long clothes are worn. If I keep combining pieces in different ways, they feel new every time. I even love rediscovering a pair of trousers after 20 years and finding that they suddenly feel completely current again.

For me, sustainability has nothing to do with deprivation. Of course, people need to understand why change makes sense. But at the same time, we shouldn’t make the subject more complicated than it needs to be.

Sustainability can feel incredibly complex to many people.

Exactly. But there isn’t one single correct definition. Some people prioritise vegan materials, others natural fibres or social standards. That is precisely why we need to learn to talk about it more simply. For me, the challenge is to explain the subject in a way people can understand while also making them want to change something themselves.

Many people put themselves under enormous pressure because they are afraid of getting something wrong. But it is perfectly fine to start small. Bring a reusable bag when you go shopping, have a garment repaired or keep wearing a pair of trousers instead of leaving them unused in your wardrobe.

At some point, something interesting happens: you simply don’t want to go back. Because it makes sense. Because it’s enjoyable. And then it doesn’t feel like giving something up at all.

For someone who wants to discover Düsseldorf’s more sustainable side, where would you suggest starting?

I would recommend not limiting yourself to the city centre or Königsallee. Around Nordstraße and in other neighbourhoods, there are plenty of smaller shops specialising in more sustainable brands. They can be a very good place to start.

And even in larger stores, it is worth taking a closer look. I always recommend a quick check: don’t simply accept that something is recycled, but look for an explanation of why the product is supposed to be more sustainable. Is the communication transparent? Does it address the environment, people or animals? Those details can help you make a more informed judgement.

How do you know during a styling session that someone has genuinely found their own style?

It usually happens during the session itself. We experiment. Someone might say, ​“Yellow doesn’t suit me.” So we combine yellow with another colour or try a completely different look.

When people suddenly put on something they would never have dared to wear before and realise, ​“Wait, I actually love this,” that’s always a special moment. We might create ten or twelve outfits from clothes that have been sitting in their wardrobe all along. But the number of outfits isn’t really what matters. What matters is hearing someone say, ​“I feel good in this.”

It’s even better when they contact me later and say, ​“Now I understand what you meant.” Many people initially believe they could never do this on their own. But by experimenting together, they start trusting their own taste.

It’s incredibly empowering. And you can see exactly when it happens: they start to light up.

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