From an ecological point of view, the best clothes are those that you don't even buy.
This advice is often heard when it comes to sustainable consumption.
On the other hand, the customers of the fashion start-up Espero support animal and species protection even more with more expensive purchases.
Because its founder Tim Weinel also linked the sustainable clothing trade with donation projects.
Espero is a term from the planned language Esperanto and means hope.
The founder from Gießen found that suitable for his start-up, which offers sustainable fashion for men and women.
Because Weinel wants to practice "animal and species protection with every piece of clothing", as he says.
Animal welfare should be at the center of his business.
Also for platform Ecozins on the go
Tim Weinel has all those fashionable companions on offer that are classified under the heading "Casual": hoodies, sweatshirts, jogging pants, sportswear, available in different colors. According to Weinel, the textiles themselves consist exclusively of organic cotton and recycled polyester. The pieces are sewn by the textile manufacturer "Stanley / Stella", and Weinel in Gießen takes care of the printing and distribution himself, although he is also the managing director of the Ecozins platform, which arranges investments for sustainable projects via crowdfunding.
Even if sustainable fashion is in trend, Weinel's main concern is not to sell as many pieces as possible; rather, clothing should change something, he wishes. That is why he is looking for project partners for his collections, the latest being the non-profit animal welfare association PROVIEH, which is committed to animal welfare in agriculture. 25 percent of the surpluses from the sale of the new collection called "Respect" are to be donated to the organization. When making a purchase, the customer learns how much of the price is being passed on as a donation. In addition to the product information on the sweater, there is always information on the selected projects. PROVIEH will use the money for its goal of "achieving animal welfare standards that take into account the needs of each animal", says Weinel.
Since he went online with his Espero website in August 2020, he has given over 1150 euros in donations for various animal and species protection projects.
“The average donation share per order is around seven euros,” says 34-year-old Weinel.
The pieces from the latest collection cost between 34.90 euros for a t-shirt or sports shirt and 54.90 euros for a hoodie or sweatshirt.
Weinel is not yet making a profit with his start-up.
“But I break even,” he says.
That was important to him so that the project would be successful in the long term.
Two raccoons reared
In photos for his latest collection, the founder of Giessen shows himself with a big heart for animals with a little goat.
She's not his own, he has two cats.
Since he has been earning his own money, he has also taken care of animals.
He also once raised two raccoons that a farmer friend had discovered.
Then Weinel placed them in a game sanctuary.
How was that
“Exciting,” laughs the founder.
His goal is to establish "Espero" as a well-known brand.
Because Tim Weinel is convinced: "If I have a part of Espero in my closet, then something happens in the world." He would also be happy to see imitators of his business idea who adopt the idea with the proceeds from their business to pass on a bit of good.