Munich Startup: Who are you and what does Akjumii do?
Akjumii: We are Michaela and Anna and founded the slow fashion label Akjumii in 2012. We make convertible coats: the 3in1 coats can be worn as a jacket, vest, or coat and can be constantly redesigned with detachable “add ons”. The ‘Akjumii Add Ons’ are, for example, different collars, hem extensions, or decorative elements.
Munich Startup: How do you integrate the topic of circular economy into your business model?
Akjumii: We offer a free repair service and the coats can be returned to us at any time. We then clean and repair them or recycle them into our ‘Add ons’.
Our coats can also be rented. From our cutting waste, which we keep minimal through digital cutting, we can create ‘Add ons’ in turn.
We also place a strong emphasis on modular systems in circular economy. These work from residential construction to furniture and also for clothing. And in our view, anything that is adapted to current life circumstances stays in the cycle longer.
Why perseverance is important for circular economy
Munich Startup: What can other startups learn from you?
Akjumii: Think about sustainability early in the design and business idea. Create products that are already convertible through their design and thus remain in the cycle longer. And as a startup, always consider what happens after a product is sold? We believe: our responsibility doesn’t end with the sale.
And in general: keep going! A few years ago when we asked all our potential suppliers at the “Munich Fabric Start” about their entire supply chain and all raw materials, we were almost alone in doing so. Many couldn’t answer us. Meanwhile, the topic has become important. Many are asking, and suppliers have recognized that it’s important to know the entire lifecycle of a product.
Akjumii: brand awareness is our biggest challenge
Munich Startup: What are your current challenges?
Akjumii: Brand awareness is our biggest challenge. We are completely occupied with the brand and the product. But for sales figures to go up, we would probably need to become more well-known and working on that in addition is very difficult for us due to resource constraints.
Munich Startup: What other circular solutions do you find interesting?
Akjumii: There are many exciting material innovations. New distribution channels like rental or swapping are also great. Additionally, it’s very interesting for us to use existing materials and create “Limited Editions” from old silk blouses, for example.
Technical solutions are also very exciting for us. For example, with our coats there are hundreds of different combination options. To first present these digitally and create digital try-on possibilities would be wonderful and would make purchasing decisions even more informed.
Munich Startup: Where do you see yourselves in five years?
Akjumii: The goal is to increase awareness and sales figures so much that we can research better (and more sustainable) solutions in all areas and bring further designs and products to the market that are ideally completely recycled and recyclable. This way we could make an increasingly larger contribution to ensuring that the (fashion) world treats people and nature with care.
