IN 2018, WE CONDUCTED AN INTERVIEW WITH OUR FOUNDER WERNER CHRIST.
THIS BRAND IS A GUARANTEE OF QUALITY, HOW HAVE YOU MANAGED TO MAINTAIN THIS QUALITY OVER ALL THESE YEARS?
I have always loved good quality. Especially in terms of look and feel, I have always set the highest standards for myself. I have had to make many decisions in my life, so in 1982 I had the idea of setting up a second business in the sheep country of Uruguay and building a tannery in 1988. This enabled us to guarantee good quality.
HOW DID YOU COME TO SPECIALISE IN THE NATURAL PRODUCT SHEEPSKIN?
I am a lover of leather and developed a curiosity for sheepskin, which led me to specialise in this material. I always wanted to make the best and in the best quality.
WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?
When we started out with weather-protection clothing, it was made of synthetic material. But we quickly switched to real leather and then to sheepskin - always something better. I always wanted to measure myself against the best.
YOU HAVE ALWAYS ATTACHED GREAT IMPORTANCE TO SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION. WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO DO THIS?
I have always felt responsible for the environment. When we started building the tannery in Uruguay, the septic tank was finished before anything else. We also started working with renewable energy very early on. The solar system installed in 2007 immediately resulted in saving 20% of crude oil. In 2009, we build a wood combustion plant. The CO2 emissions naturally produced by the combustion process are offset by the surrounding forest. We now tan 100% CO2-neutral.
WHICH MOTTO ACCOMPANIES YOU?
"Leather from a single origin right from the start."