Clara Kaesdorf

At the core of Clara Kaesdorf’s operations is a dedicated team that values craftsmanship, creativity, and direct customer interaction. The label’s commitment to ethical practices is evident in its collaboration with small European weavers and local artisans. By choosing to work with these smaller entities, Clara Kaesdorf supports local economies and helps maintain traditional textile skills that might otherwise be lost in the industrialised mass production of fashion.

The brand’s in-house production and digital printing are significant aspects of its identity. Having their own store-atelier in Berlin allows them to maintain a high level of control over the entire production process, from the initial design to the final product. This close oversight ensures that every piece meets their high standards for quality and sustainability. It also means that they can offer a more personalised service, allowing customers to influence the design of their garments, thereby enhancing the customer’s connection to the piece and the brand.

By keeping production local and in-house, Clara Kaesdorf can guarantee fair pay and safe working conditions for all employees, adhering to the strict labour laws of the European Union. This approach benefits the workers and contributes to a higher quality product and a more sustainable and ethical fashion industry.

In addition to supporting local craftsmanship and maintaining high production standards, Clara Kaesdorf’s personal interaction in the Berlin-Schöneberg store-atelier allows customers to meet the team and understand the process behind their garments. This transparency fosters a deeper appreciation and connection between the customer, the product, and the people behind it, embodying the brand’s dedication to community, craftsmanship, and ethical production.

Clara Kaesdorf’s commitment to the planet is evident in its thoughtful selection of materials and approach to sustainable fashion, though it navigates the complexities of material sourcing and environmental impact. The brand predominantly uses high-quality natural fibres such as wool compositions, silk, linen, cotton, and innovative fibres like Lyocell and Tencel. These materials are chosen for their reduced environmental impact, functionality, and comfort. The use of organic cotton, claimed to be GOTS-certified, ensures that the material is produced organically, with a lower environmental impact than conventional cotton.

In addition to natural fibres, Clara Kaesdorf acknowledges using deadstock synthetic materials such as polyester, elastane, acetate and semi-synthetics like viscose in her collections. While these materials can offer durability, elasticity, and cost-effectiveness, they have environmental downsides. Synthetics are known to release microplastics into water systems during washing, contributing to pollution and affecting aquatic life. Furthermore, garments made from mixed fibres are more challenging to recycle at the end of their lifecycle due to the difficulty of separating the materials, which can lead to a higher disposal rate in landfills or incineration.

To mitigate the environmental impact, Clara Kaesdorf utilises high-quality deadstock fabrics, which are surplus materials from other fashion houses. By repurposing these materials, the brand reduces the demand for virgin resources. Customer orders are transported in recycled old shipping boxes and wrapped in paper. The logistics company is not disclosed.

Clara Kaesdorf integrates circularity through the use of variable garment designs, allowing multiple wearing options and thus extending each piece’s lifecycle. They also reuse overruns from large Italian fashion houses and deadstock materials, limiting waste. However, many garments feature multiple fibres, including synthetics, making recycling difficult at the end of their individual lifecycle. Accessories are made from leather remnants from shoe production and bags from scrap materials, underlining her commitment to reducing and reusing waste.

The brand works with small European weavers from Germany and Poland as well as GOTS-certified cotton from Portugal. Her diverse deadstock fabrics are sourced through an Italian supplier. She has supplied a full list of partnering facilities and can fully trace her supply chain. She produces and designs key looks and new seasonal items in her Berlin store, maintaining a short and localised production chain.

While organic materials like cotton are GOTS certified, the deadstock wool and silk used are not certified. She sources leather remnants from a local shoe manufacturer for accessories, emphasising the use of waste materials rather than new animal products.

Clara Kaesdorf only releases a few new looks every season, featuring variable garment designs, timeless cuts and a diverse range of custom-made, bold prints. They highlight durable and versatile designs, advocating for fewer, better-quality pieces. The brand experiences almost no returns, indicating high customer satisfaction.

The brand communicates its fabric compositions on individual online product pages and has fully disclosed its list of production sites and fabric suppliers to COSH! Furthermore, the brand’s focus on direct, in-store customer service and design collaboration provides ample opportunity for discovering further details on fabric origin and production processes.