Maximilian in Dialogue

Five Questions on Ethical Fashion.

A short interview with the founder of the brand, Maximilian.

It is clear that ethics matter to you as much as sustainability. When choosing the seamstress and artisans to work with, what factors were most important to you?

When I visited some production partners in Lithuania for the first time last summer, I wanted to get a feeling of who the people were and how they worked. I remember one quote of a production partner I did not end up working with “You should only use the linen from this supplier X in Russia, it is cheaper, and nobody notices the quality difference”. My stomach had an immediate reaction of discomfort, as this kind of behavior is not what I want to portray with my brand. The production partner we ended up working with had everything I thought was needed, flexible working hours, big rooms with lots of space for few seamstresses, modern office space and friendly team members. Most importantly, they share our values and vision for the fashion world.

Do you think people understand what ethical fashion means?

Everyone has a different perception of what it means to be ethical, however I am sure our thought direction is the same. Behaving in a way, that the majority of people on this planet accept as the correct one. One simple example is working with production partners, that have good working conditions for their employee’s and pay fair wages. Sadly, a lot of fashion brands fall out of this category already, because they want to be cheap and fast.

What was it that first raised your awareness on the issue of fast fashion?

Before founding HACOY I had a startup that developed a student discount app in Germany and back then I was part of the problem. I partnered with fast-fashion brands and offered discounts for clothing. I quickly noticed how often these people ordered from the stores and I thought to myself how unnecessary this is.

When you created the Ethical Fashion Brand in 2021, what was your main purpose and aim?

Purpose is something very powerful, something we all strive for in life and what gives it meaning. The shared purpose of the brand and myself are to make people happier, more comfortable, and more joyful than if we did not exist. I received an amazing compliment not long ago from a woman that told me “Max you are so comfortable with yourself and that really helps others around you be comfortable.” This is exactly what I want my brand to do with its clients. These aspects in life are what make it worth living and are fashion pieces are an effective way to reach our clients and help them.

What are you not doing in your business but want to improve on?

Calculating the exact impact our clothing production and the way our business operates has on the environment. We are currently having discussions with some industry experts and software developers on this subject and will hopefully implement it by early 2023.

Five Questions on Ethical Fashion.

Happiness

Comfort

Joy