FUNCTIONAL OUTSIDERS - AN INTRODUCTION TO ARYS
Functionality has become a must in today’s fashion world, and similar to streetwear, we now see technical jackets and garments winning over new markets and segmentations.
From high fashion to everyday wear, hype and sneaker - in functionality we trust.
Functional and urban clothing offers the right and much-needed contrast to the hyped-up and maxed-out worlds that the fusion of streetwear and fashion generated over the last years; and even though many brands already started to bring the same [in our opinion], unneeded mechanics of collaborations, orchestrated hype and limitations, into the functional world, functionality always offers a reason - literally a function - worth investing money in.
At the same time, the functional fashion market has become an overcrowded place, with many brands and designers battling for our likes and digital shopping carts. The sheer amount of options and [good] brands out there can feel overwhelming. Just head over to our friends at eye_C mag and you will have a hard time finding something that you won’t like.
So how do you stand out in this market and what are the values and positions your brand has to offer and represent?
Sustainability is one of them - but we at Sabukaru believe that in the near future we have to expect and take this one for granted. It isn’t enough for a brand to promote their products as environmentally friendly, sustainable or “on the right way” of becoming it - we expect this from brands out there and we are also aware that buying can never be the answer to making this world a better place. Reducing our impact is the least we can do with our new jacket, but we won’t save the world through another purchase. So please, dear brands, stop making sustainability your number one marketing tool, just be sustainable.
So after sorting out one of the fashion world's biggest marketing tools for 2021 and beyond; what else makes a brand unique and interesting in this market, space and time? How do you stand out in a market with so many brands looking good, being functional, and generating big likes and shares on our social media streams?
Time to talk about ARYS, time to talk about being an Outsider.
Early 2020 the Sabukaru Tokyo team got in contact with the brand for the very first time. The German-based brand invited us to visit their Tokyo showroom in Meguro to get to know each other. At that point, no one at Sabukaru had heard of the brand before, but the fact alone, that a German-based brand had a showroom in Tokyo made us curious. With parts of the Sabukaru team originating from Germany, we were aware of how unusual it was for a brand to make it outside of Germany, especially to Tokyo.
A quick research about the brand revealed another interesting achievement: BEAMS, ISETAN Men and sleek outdoor shops in Fukuoka, Osaka, and Sendai had been selling ARYS for a couple of years already. To make it in the Mecca of functional urban wear, being stocked in Japan is something all brands dream of, and ARYS made it happen long before shops and consumers in Germany had even heard of them.
But the industry did: At ISPO Munich, the world‘s largest and renowned sports and leisure trade show, ARYS has won five awards since 2016. Thanks to the progressive designs and their material solutions, ARYS could prevail against big players within the industry.
And yes, there also were sustainable and fair reasons to like this brand: ARYS has made it their mission to produce top tier garments with timeless designs to remain part of the customers' wardrobe for a long time.
To decrease their ecological footprint, ARYS uses innovative materials like SEAQUAL®- a yarn that consists of 100% recycled ocean plastic and reduces the amount of water and carbon emission in the entire value chain. Furthermore, ARYS uses padding made of recycled PET bottles, literally stuffing their products with “trash” for the good. As previously said, we do expect this from a brand, so let's check this box and move on.
We got more curious.
Early 2021, a few showroom meetings, Zoom Calls to Germany and even some pre-COVID Tokyo meetings with the German team in an Izakaya later, and we can profoundly say: ARYS is a unique and interesting brand and there are a few easy and a few more complicated reasons for that:
First and foremost, ARYS is a haptic brand. Before even talking about their functional aspects and designs, just take your time to touch and feel their fabrics, jacket and vests. There is a certain surprise and sensation that comes with it and you can easily see and feel the quality of each garment.
The ultra-light and soft touch of their Prestige Parka or Pro Padded vest is something that words can hardly describe, you simply have got to try it once.
When it comes to functional aspects, ARYS offers a well balanced minimalistic take on form and function.
The right amount of pockets and zippers is something some brands tend to exaggerate: 10 pockets usually add more chaos than daily utilitarianism: unless you are a very well organised person, you will keep looking for your keys.
ARYS jackets and vests offer the right amount and placement of pockets. An essential part of making a good jacket a great jacket.
To ensure full functionality in all weather conditions, ARYS works together with Europes’ most renowned textile manufactures like Schoeller or Outlast. In this way, their products, like the ISPO Gold Winner awarded Perfect Pillow Coat, are wind-, and waterproof and also anti-bacterial. Besides that, almost all of the products are highly breathable. By using a membrane technology where a hydrophilic [water-attracting] material such as polyether, and one hydrophobic [water-repellent] material such as polyester are combined, they create a fabric that transports moisture underneath the jacket to the outside and remains waterproof.
The design of each ARYS product is another standout feature: An ARYS product looks like an ARYS product and like nothing else. Their take on forms and cuts is something that we haven’t seen before. While keeping branding minimal/almost non-existent, the minimalistic design still attracts attention. Each product has unique features that make it stand out from their competition without screaming too loud at the same time.
The Pro Padded Vest, for instance, might be one of the smartest solutions and designs we have seen so far when it comes to functional vests. After reviewing sneak peaks of the vest and other garments in their upcoming 2021 SS and AW collections, we predict a bright future for them in 2021 and beyond.
And as mentioned already ARYS is doing their best to be sustainable: Using high-quality materials, implementing eco-conscious materials in their products, care about the ethical standards in their value chain and not jumping on every short-lived trend, but producing durable and timeless garments.
The last and possibly most important point which makes ARYS the unique and interesting outsider that you should keep on your radar, is the idea, vision and radically sharp and unusual approach of CEO Frederik "Fritz" Sturm.
While the fashion world is ruled by big characters, big names, fame and highly praised and fashion educated personas, Frederik Sturm offers a very fresh and unusual take on leading a fashion company into the year 2021.
Without the usual fashion background and no aspiration to become “one of them”, his radical and free-spirited approach on design and functionality might be the secret behind ARYS’ run to success so far.
To get your first collection bought and picked by one of BEAMS’ most respected buyers in your inaugural year usually doesn’t happen if you follow the traditional route, path and most important advice from other fashion people.
Trying to be different and disruptive usually doesn’t work if you aren’t disruptive and different by heart. Frederik Sturm truly is an outsider in this fashion world, and the story and path he is building with ARYS is worth telling and watching.
Time to talk to Frederik to find out more and get access to the full ARYS universe and future:
Hello Frederik, could you briefly introduce yourself to the SABUKARU network?
I am Frederik Sturm, people also call me Fritz. I come from the idyllic Saarland on the German/ French border. At the age of 21, I founded ARYS and started the adventure of my lifetime. I never had anything to do with fashion at all, so I hope it wasn’t a stupid decision…
You first studied business and economics. What is the story behind the first Arys designs? Were they a product of business aspirations, or something more creative?
Back then I lived in Berlin Neukölln as a modest student together with my roommate from Belgrade. In the last semester of my studies, I started working in a small consulting company in the health sector. At that time, we were working on a new project for the economic optimization of care services. I worked there for almost a year and realized that this was not for me at all. Sitting around in the office and working a lot with Excel. Pure excitement! However, I had had three bosses who really inspired me. They had a tremendous enthusiasm to build up the business. I quickly felt like getting something up and running myself.
So how did I come to ARYS? The mentioned roommate and I were on the road a lot in Neukölln: football, basketball, gym. We went for massive walks around the area and in the evenings, we spent time in pubs. Something that was never missing during this time: The tracksuit. This piece of clothing was always with us. It is comfortable and flexible. It was our second skin. But just when we got out of student days and started to work and tried to live a more serious life, we reached our limits with the tracksuit. This outfit is also suboptimal for dating.
So, I started to scribble more badly than quite some ideas. It always sounds so stupid, but the street really inspired me through the many walks and the many observations I noticed for example: Every homeboy in Neukölln wore Jack Wolfskin fleece jackets. The brand is anything but cool, still it has this functional aspect. From the observations and years of self-experiment to wear only tracksuits, the vision of the "All in One" tracksuit was born. Super functional, super comfortable, super flexible, with a modest and clean look.
How does your unusual background help you to navigate to the rough sea that we call the fashion industry?
It has its advantages and disadvantages. Let’s talk first about disadvantages: Building up a brand in the fashion industry without a network is almost like a suicide mission. You sail your ship zigzagging and are sometimes washed back to port because the sea is too stormy and the waves (other brands) are too high. You have to be very persistent and have great stamina to survive the first few years. You meet many people who tell you that they can help you to improve the business. But these are often empty promises and the people you need for an ambitious project in this industry only appear very slowly. In retrospect, I wish I had come to my own brand differently with more network and knowledge, but I learned a lot from it. I literally jumped into the freezing water.
But now to the advantages: In a way, I started out as an idealist. 2013 was the fatal collapse of a clothing factory in Bangladesh with many dead. That made me very sad. I read many reports about it and was shocked by the negligence of German fashion companies. This has shaped me to the extent that I paid close attention to the value chain from the very beginning, which is certainly at the expense of profitability. But I did not care!
Especially in the area of design and materials I approached everything completely unconventionally. I basically went to fabric fairs without any background knowledge and simply picked up various fabrics that I found somehow interesting. I didn't take into account for which garments these fabrics were actually meant for. I cared about cool functions! Together with a fashion design student we prepared everything in a (semi-)professional way. And so, step by step we held our first own tracksuits in our hands. I didn't look to the right or left at all, but only had the goal in my head to make ALL IN ONE products that you can always wear! This mind-set and the total focus on the own products from a "utility" point of view, made the styles of ARYS special. At the first fairs (mainly sports and outdoor) we often heard "Everything looks the same, but you are somehow different". This circumstance was a confirmation that lateral entrants are good for the industry.
Arys has transcended From functional tracksuits TO highly professional winter jackets. How did this evolution take place?
As mentioned, it was an absolute zigzag course at the beginning of ARYS, because I really didn't have a plan, not to mention a network. And to be honest, I didn't really get involved in the industry, rather did what I thought was right at that moment. Together with the very talented designer Tobias F. Müller, we simply threw together everything we found at trade fairs. Kay Heldsdörfer, the former Sales Manager of Sympatex (Hardcore Outdoor Fabrics) still tells me the story when we came to his booth and talked about the ALL IN ONE Tracksuit idea back in 2014. At that time he just thought "What the hell is wrong with these guys? Today Kay is Head of Product at ARYS! Apparently, we left a lasting impression.
When the first styles were ready and offered on our own website, the ISPO trade show contacted us in 2015. ISPO offered us to take part in the newcomer competition. So we did! It was an absolute success and we met many people and noticed that our idea was very well appreciated. We had tasted blood. We started the project "Fusionwear" shortly after. Our aim was to achieve maximum value for the customer with just a few items: through function, clean urban design and a fair value chain. This also resulted in the Pure Performance Hoodie, the mother of all ARYS products. Super clean and mega functional. A hoodie for all situations in life and winner of ISPO Award. No matter where you are! It is my favorite product because it contains everything ARYS stands for.
Pure Performance Hoodie
Based on this we expanded the collections. We have tried out a lot, also a lot of crap. Little by little the puzzle was put together and more people became aware of ARYS. We learned from our mistakes and created pieces that became better and better and more sophisticated. Very good people joined the Team with whom I enjoy working. Everything is created collectively which makes us very versatile.
Why ARYS? Tell us how you came up with this name.
ARYS is derived from the verb "arise". "If a situation or problem arises, it begins to exist, or people start to become aware of it." On the one hand, I had the problem that I didn't find the perfect outfit for me that covers everything. I hate shopping, which is why I always look for the simplest, most universal and fastest solution. Besides me, also other people were looking for more universal clothes, which was noticed by the "athleisure" trend at that time.
On the other hand, as I mentioned before, I was quite touched by this whole fast fashion theme. A problem that has to be solved for the sake of the factory employees and the environment.
The name also has a very personal meaning for me, I like and identify with the stories of hidden champions, who are humble and quiet, but show what they are capable of in the important moments. The ARYS products reflect this personal aspect very strongly. They are quiet and modest products at first sight. They appear elegant but do not impose themselves. If you take a closer look at the products and break through the surface, you experience all the functions and features and the high value.
Functionality plays a big role in your brand philosophy. Can you explain what functionality means to you?
I am actually a lazy person and that is why I love universal solutions, as mentioned before. Digitalization has made our lives extremely simple. Smartphones are a good example of how many features have become centered on a single product. A similar approach would also be good for clothing, so we appreciate certain fashion items more.
In my opinion, functionality is a key factor for products to inspire us and for us to wear them more often than other products. Functionality means added value! Added value means versatility and versatility means fulfilment! Products that fulfil us, we don’t want to change a lot. So you could say that functionality is the root of the totality of a product.
Your products and designs have won many awards already. Do you think your products hit a certain zeitgeist or what do you do differently compared to the rest of the market?
The zeitgeist plays a major role. Urban/Outdoor hybrids are in demand! Many brands make great hybrids, but often they are no longer true to their actual identity. This is something you experience especially in the outdoor branch. If a brand only displayed mountains, forests and rivers in its marketing messages for over 30 years, it can't suddenly become the cool brand from the city. This gap can now be filled by fresh brands, especially in Germany. We want to be at the forefront of this development.
In the first few years, we showed ARYS a lot in milieus that were very rusty, like the German outdoor industry. Early on, people noticed us very positively because we didn't make the next plain vanilla Stepp jacket or fleece sweater. We used different fabrics, set the seams differently and redefined many old-fashioned pieces. This made us something special at the fairs.
In addition, we always paid attention to a very high-quality composition of the materials, which put us ahead of some of our competitors. It is of course a big factor that we never oriented ourselves to others and took unconventional paths. Over the last few years, we have developed a look that is unique and recognisable with a clear urban brand identity.
Please tell us more about your connection with BEAMS, how did you manage to get noticed by this Japanese giant?
This is a quite funny story. We were at the Outdoor Messe in Friedrichshafen for the first time in 2016. A tough place, because there it's all about the hard facts like water column, composition of materials and whether you can climb Mount Everest with your gear. No one is really interested in design! I was pretty disappointed after a few days. We talked to some Intersports shops from places I never heard of before and inspired the owner of a "Tactile Weapon" store in Tel Aviv. "Small caliber weapons are great to carry in your hidden pockets, perfect for secret service personnel". Interesting, but no thanks! The product the gentleman from Israel was so enthusiastic about was the already mentioned Pure Performance Hoodie. Totally clean and full of hidden pockets and therefore super practical.
On the last day, the fair was actually finished for me. Until the Japanese man came along who I had noticed for days. He walked around the fair and you could see that he made all the people at the other booths very nervous. I just thought to myself "This guy seems to be damn important". He came up to my booth, gave me his business card ”BEAMS” and praised the Pure Performance Hoodie. At that moment I had no idea that this was an absolute game changer and business was about to get serious!
Apparently, ARYS had found its market, because BEAMS and then ISETAN were the first retailers that ever offered ARYS products in offline retail.
A functional brand from Germany on the rise in Japan - What makes ARYS a perfect fit for Japan and how does Japanese culture influence your work?
It is often underestimated what positive reputation Germany enjoys abroad. Especially in Asia I sometimes have the feeling that German products are a divine blessing for the people. We probably have Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi to thank for this. In Japan Germany stands for the highest quality. That seems to be half the battle. Furthermore, it is generally known that the Japanese have a high affinity for functional clothing and are experts in integrating it skillfully into their everyday life. They know exactly that clothing with added value simplifies everyday life.
Last but not least, design is still the decisive factor. Japan seems to be the only Asian country where big-name branding does not play a significant role. This reflects the Japanese culture of modesty. Discreet and clean designs are preferred. Therefore, it can be said that the mixture of origin, functionality and design of ARYS is a "perfect match" to the Japanese taste.
Japan also has a great influence on us. The Japanese market is the benchmark for us and our motivation to become better and better. The " functional fashion " products that are launched there every year by other brands seem to be from a different star. Sometimes it turns my stomach, because the competition seems to be unbeatable. But then I also become aware of our strengths and I look back on the successful path we have already taken. The motivation is huge to play on this level and to convince the very spoiled and picky Japanese audience of ARYS.
Can you please tell us more about your other moves in Japan? Who else are you in contact with and what are your plans for the future in Japan?
The Japanese market, along with the German market, became our main focus early on. It is the pioneer in the field of functional fashion and decides whether a brand is allowed to play in the worldwide Techwear circus or not. I came to Japan for the first time because of ARYS and was immediately thrilled by the country. You feel like you're in a retro version of the future. The mixture of aesthetics and modesty, as well as shrill and surreal elements, makes this country unique and a source of inspiration.
Due to our early success in this market through our appearance in Beams and Isetan, many people have become aware of us. Nevertheless, we have decided to approach everything very carefully and to enter the market with cautious steps. We have found a very sympathetic distributor with whom we immediately established a close relationship. The company even became a shareholder of ARYS. As a result, ARYS now has some Japanese blood flowing through it. We enjoy the cooperation with our partners in Tokyo because we expanded our horizon.
We are now available in stores in Fukuoka, Osaka, Sendai and Tokyo. In the near future, a larger collaboration with ISETAN is planned. But I don't want to give too much away yet. We feel very much at home in Japan and look forward to all future activities.
Could you guide us through the product development process, from the first idea to the final product?
The development of the garments is a collective effort. Since added value and the utility of clothing are very important to us, everyone in the team should contribute their ideas. Much is created in heated discussions. We always start with the question: "What do I need to improve my everyday life". In the Kick-Off Meetings really everything comes to the table. Our designer and product manager are then left to sort out the chaos. Afterwards, the designs are created.
At the same time, we search for suitable functional fabrics worldwide. There are several “challenge rounds” until the collection is ready. It's important to me that all leading employees are completely satisfied before we present the clothes at the trade fairs. We are very rigorous in the selection process to remain our collections always very straightforward. We work with fantastic factories in Portugal, Lithuania and China who know exactly what we want from them.
Your clothes are all held in a minimal sleek design without much branding. What drives your ideas behind every piece you design and where do you see the ARYS design heading in the next 5 years?
ARYS is a brand for daily use! We want our customers to enjoy our products and always feel the added value! We want to create "favorite pieces" that survive short-lived trends and are still wearable in 10 years. This philosophy is in contrast to big branding, senseless design elements and wild colors. We work very hard to stay true to our line.
I wish that we don't have to change much in the designs in the next 5 years and that people still think we are great. It should be the goal of every ambitious designer to create a signature design that always works. From my point of view, you don't have to reinvent yourself all the time. You only do that if you have no confidence in your current work.
Let’s talk about your Pro Padded Vest, “the best vest in the game’ according to a couple of Sabukaru network members. What makes this vest so special and unique in your eyes?
Like the Pure Performance Hoodie, this vest is a parade example of the character of ARYS. The Pro Padded Vest forms a symbiosis of clean design, distinct functionality and great wearing comfort. The design is meant to convey safety and robustness but also a great lightness due to the flatness and the smooth fabric. Therefore, this vest does not necessarily have this strong military touch.
Despite the 4 pockets, the vest also does not have the look of the fishing vest, as it is often the case with the competition. It is extremely well combinable and versatile. You can even wear it on a chic shirt for upscale occasions. This could look quite crappy with a fishing vest. You may wear the vest in 10 years and still look modern. The zipper on the side and the magnets on the shoulder complete this unique product.
Futuristic ideas like the Pro Power Pack merge clothing with accessories. Tell us more about the idea for this “bag-vest”.
The Pro Power Pack is a good example of the All-in-One solution. Actually, we wanted to make a normal backpack. But then we asked ourselves what the backpack of the future could look like. Once again we mixed everything and put it into one product.
So, we connected laptop bag and vest and made an ADD ON for every style. Whether over a jacket, sweater or shirt, the Pro Power Pack always fits. Our role model was the typical metropolitan person who rides his bike to work every day. Since you are well supplied with drinks and other things in modern offices or co-working spaces, the modern backpack actually only needs space for a notebook. We took a 13' laptop as a reference to make the size of the bag perfect.
Apart from that this garment is water-repellent and warms by padding made of recycled plastic bottles. Many of our customers also wear it just as a fashion piece. With ARYS everything is possible!
Let’s talk about sustainability and ARYS. A question we could have asked at the very beginning to give you a green card for all the rest of the questions. Since we at Sabukaru believe that sustainable moves, fabrics and designs are essentials for all new fashion businesses we intentionally kept this question for the end. So please tell us more about the sustainability ethos you have at ARYS and why your design and functionality doesn’t have to hide behind it.
Sustainability is certainly the most exciting topic in the industry right now. Everyone is talking about it. Some put it into practice and others bullshit their customers. We at ARYS have dealt with this topic a lot over the years, and I could write a novel about it right here. First and foremost, ARYS was all about fair production. The tragedy in Bangladesh was one of the key factors, as already mentioned. I am a young open-minded person who loves nature like many others of my generation!
The fabric manufacturers offer many great sustainable solutions and of course, we use these solutions and include sustainable fabrics in our pieces as much as possible. In times of climate change, every young entrepreneur has a duty to make life more eco-friendly. For us, sustainability starts with the design of the products. It is not only the material composition, but also the durability of the design.
In terms of function, sometimes you have to cut corners. Functionality and sustainability are often in contrast to each other, since features such as "water-repellent", for example, require chemical processes that are not always entirely kosher. Nevertheless there are great developments in these areas. We expect our products to be completely recycled or compostable by 2024. We are always looking for new ways to make our products even greener. But we have also decided not to put the sustainability aspect of our garments in the center of attention when reaching out to consumers. This is a topic that almost everyone is now advertising, and it's hard for customers to see who is really sustainable.
It is simply no longer a "unique selling point". I'm very curious to see what happens to brands that have defined themselves only through sustainability. I can imagine that they are quickly forgotten because they have forgotten to make good designs. At ARYS we have done our homework. We have developed styles that shine with other things. We once asked our most important Japanese customers why they buy ARYS. The answer: "Design" Check.
What is next for a brand that already aims to be the future? Where can we buy and try on your clothes in 2021?
I would like to continue to keep the slight outsider role and naivety, as this has always given me fresh ideas. This super serious and perfectly planned business style is not really my thing. I believe in coincidences and fortunate circumstances. A few years ago I would never have thought that we would have made it this far. We will go our way with ARYS and hopefully continue to surprise ourselves. In any case, I am happy that we will be available from February in some great stores in Germany like MBCY (former Ubervart), BSTN, Acribik and Bungalow. We are also currently working on our own store concept in Berlin. But we are still depending on the Corona situation a little bit. Unfortunately, this has also slowed us down a lot. But it's worth keeping an eye on us in 2021.
Thanks a lot for your time!
Text and Interview by: Adrian Bianco & Peter Obradovic
