Profiling Business
CHOOLIPS
Designer & Founder of CHOOLIPS, Annegret Affolderbach is a fashion entrepreneur with wide-reaching vision. Annegret moved from East Germany to London in 1994. After completing her degree in Fine Arts at Middlesex University, Annegret worked in all areas of the fashion world, from pop styling and theatre costume design to cutting patterns for top high street brands, developing holographic textiles and dream experiences for Coca Cola. Annegret has travelled extensively in Africa, India, the US and Europe building broad networks across fashion & the creative industries. She writes her own column {sustain} @ Tribaspace.com as ‘fashion-E-ditor’ for Sustainable Fashion. {sustain} looks at the journey of Eco/Sustainable Fashion, the exciting & innovative businesses it unfolds and the potent future it presents for our global Fashion Industry.
Since 2006, CHOOLIPS’ chique and playful collections renovate Fashion Minds with Slow Fashion. CHOOLIPS has been a finalist in the ‘UK Young Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year 2009’ / British Council and received awards such as ‘Barclays Innovative Business of the Year 2008’.
CHOOLIPS works with communities of grassroots trailblazers. Inspired by people, their lives and entrepreneurial small businesses in developing economies, Annegret’s passion for textiles brought to mind the idea to revamp traditional techniques such as Batik with the aim to revive these and to sustain the artisans and entrepreneurs behind them. These were to be produced, using the Fair Trade model, in the home country of those techniques in collaboration with a local skilled workforce. CHOOLIPS products pay more than living wages. CHOOLIPS trades fairly and sustainably by keeping things local with small carbon footprints. CHOOLIPS champions all principles of sustainable and equitable trade.
“Our ideas run much deeper than this season’s fashion. Our collections revive textiles traditions with chique fairly-traded garments that make a conscious difference at the roots without compromising the thrill for good style.
As entrepreneurs we share cultural insights, economical know-how & specialist skills to build an understanding of our live cycles and business practice. This has far reaching consequences impacting directly on individual lives. We are very excited that it shapes innovation within our supply chain and our products. It allows us to join crafts & technology to innovate products that reduce waste and stand out for their tactile and culturally transitional beauty. Our partnerships elevate livelihoods and small businesses into exporters whose high quality products set trends.”
Leaping into its 4th season, CHOOLIPS’ collections have seen commercial successes at Topshop and Asos.com ‘Greenroom’. CHOOLIPS’ S/S11 collection is spreading its wings across the Globe setting foot into boutiques in Japan, Europe and the US.
The S/S11 collection is bright & bold, humming the tunes of Bananarama & 80’s confidence. Jackson Pollock inspired splashes, lightening bolts & kissable lips bring the Rock n’Roll to the bright pallette. Sexy & slouchy shapes underline repeat prints with charming confidence.
“The regular one to ones have kept us on track with planning the next big steps for Choolips. We have gained some great insights into our positioning in terms of our environmental sustainability, now reflecting on choices we are making for our future collections. Basically bringing our social impact closer to our environmental impacts without compromise.”
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