Annegret Affolderbach

Passion, drive and determination are all qualities you need to run your own business. And the very lovely Annegret Affolderbach has these qualities in spades.

We met Annegret at UKAWARE and have eagerly tracked the progress of her new collection since then.

Your collection is just about to be exclusively sold in Topshop. How did this amazing journey start?
Five years ago I received funding from the Princes Trust and I designed a collection that was show cased at London Fashion Week. Although I loved making the collection, I didn’t particularly enjoy the competitiveness of LFW. At that time, ethical fashion was hardly well known, but I knew if I was to keep designing I had to be true to myself and to what I believed in.

Even though the collection sold extremely well, I just wasn’t comfortable with it all. I decided to take a year out and think about what to do next to make sure my values resonated throughout my work.

Gosh, that’s brave. You were on the verge of huge success but you chose to reflect?
Yes, I made countless lists with lots of different ideas on them. I grew up in East Germany with socialism and communism as direct influences on my life. Combined with a Christian household, I developed very strong opinions and values. At the time, I was fascinated in the slave trade and the history of slaves, and I started to research it all in relation to the textile trade.

My interests led me to Ghana to see how batik was printed. I really didn’t want to have a mass produced range, but wanted to embrace techniques that have been used for years, respecting people’s skills and traditions.

So how did the Ethical Fashion Forum come into it all?
Elizabeth from the Ethical Fashion Forum contacted me as they were running a competition to have three batik designs made in Ghana. I couldn’t believe my luck! I entered the competition and won it!

What is it like working with the women in Ghana?
Oh my goodness, it’s amazing. I taught the women how to make the line combining new and contemporary techniques. They were really excited and loved the new skills. I choose clear and bright colours which those women just weren’t used to for Batik. It took lots of training and was a challenge for us all.

Traditional skills merging with new… everyone wins. We all learned from one another - they new skills, me how to chill out! I love that their culture is represented in my work and their ancient techniques can be used and developed.

Chill out?
Because of their culture and faith they view the world very differently indeed. They have huge faith in themselves and their skills and have proven to me that if you focus and trust yourself, you will make things happen.

It’s funny because if they are stressed they sing and dance their frustrations away! Imagine that! There is a huge contrast between London and Ghana.

The collection was a success wasn’t it?
It sold out in one DAY! Topshop sold it and the kids loved it; not just the collection but the story behind it too. When they approached me to sell the next collection, we decided on a diffusion range. It took 12 months to develop and I took extra care to make sure that the traditional printing tools could actually be carved.

I had to introduce new technology, which was tricky, but which we all learned from the experience. Juliana Mustapha has now tripled the size of her workshop, employed extra staff, laid a water pipe… we have had a real impact on these women’s lives.

What a fairy tale!
Honestly, I am the luckiest girl in the world. I do believe that if you follow your values truthfully and stand up for what you believe in, it can work. Corny eh?!

More about the Choolips Top Shop Collection