Initiated by the course “Fair trade clothing made in China“ that was offered within the programme “Economics and Ethics” at the University of Vechta, a group of 26 students undertook the great endeavour of designing, producing and distributing a clothing item that fulfils certain fair trade standards. The project combined the dimensions of sustainability and ethics with the challenges of entrepreneurship and proved itself an intense learning experience for all the participants. Due to the complexity of the endeavour, the group decided to build subgroups with different tasks and focal points. One subgroup focused on calculations and logistics, another on organisation and a third subgroup took responsibility for the design and distribution of the garment. However, the processes during the project demanded some restructuring of the groups and their tasks.
Throughout the whole project the students were not only guided by their teacher, but also intensely consulted by the textile manufacturer KTC in the person of its managing director Gerhard Flatz, as well as by the marketing expert Angelika Kölle. Their valuable advice was much appreciated by the students for procedural questions and to find their way through the corporate world. In other situations, however, the students had to overcome obstacles within the group itself. They learned to build functioning democratic group structures, to take responsibility and sometimes also to take orders from other group members. So, besides the not even mentioned struggles that the foundation of a sustainable start up holds, a lot of time, patience and hard work was needed in order to succeed. But it was all worth it: the Gallant Change polo shirt can be ordered now and is a great compliment to the conscious consumer’s wardrobe.
