Sustainable materials - from the fibre to the button.

Materials define a garment: how it looks, how it feels, how it drapes, how long it retains its shape, and how much people enjoy wearing it. That is why, at wunderwerk, the choice of materials always begins with design, quality, function, texture and comfort – combined with a commitment to selecting raw materials and fabrics as responsibly as possible.

In doing so, we consider a garment as a whole.

After all, it isn’t just made up of the fabric you see at first glance. From raw materials and yarns, through to fabrics and linings, right down to sewing threads, buttons, zips, rivets, labels and other components: every detail is part of the product – and therefore part of our responsibility. Incidentally, up to 20 per cent of fabrics may consist of coatings, which are almost always mineral oil-based; this is particularly the case with waxed jackets and non-iron shirts.

For wunderwerk, therefore, responsible material selection means considering origin, quality, function, durability and the impact on nature and the environment, animals and people as a whole.

Consciously selecting sustainable materials.

An essential component of our collections is organic cotton from certified organic cultivation (kbA). We also use high-quality natural and regenerated fibres such as linen, organic virgin wool, alpaca, cashmere, TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal Edelweiss™.

Modal Edelweiss™ from Lenzing in Austria holds a special place for us.

The fibre is made from beech wood and has been part of wunderwerk’s journey practically since the company was founded in 2012.

However, we do not simply classify a material as sustainable based on its name alone. Equally important to us are its origin and local sourcing, the method of processing, quality, functionality and comfort, as well as how durable the finished garment can be.

Our priority is not to produce as many products as possible from a single fibre, but to select the material composition for each garment that best combines design, comfort, functionality, quality and durability.

Certifications and rigorous standards can help to make these interrelationships more transparent. That is why, where appropriate and available, we rely on suitably certified raw materials, yarns and fabrics. The high requirements of standards such as GOTS and IVN BEST also serve as important guiding principles for us.

wunderwerk has been a member of the International Association of Natural Textiles (IVN) since its foundation and wishes to continue providing information about its work and requirements today.

After all, the same principle applies here: a certificate alone does not make a good product. It is the overall picture that counts.

For us, materials do not end with the fabric.

It is often the small details that, when taken together, make a big difference.

A button weighs just a few grams. A zip is barely noticeable. Sewing thread, bag or jacket linings and labels make up only a small part of a garment. Yet it is precisely these components that can be decisive for quality, durability, reparability and recyclability.

That is why we also pay close attention to them.

For example, we have our corozo buttons manufactured, individually dyed and polished in Aschaffenburg. Corozo – also known as tagua – is a natural, hard and durable raw material and, for us, a compelling alternative to plastic buttons.

Metal buttons from Wuppertal, Germany.

Our metal jeans buttons come from a long-established button factory in Wuppertal, now run by the fifth generation of the family, which even manufactures the necessary tools on-site. Unlike many snap fasteners with a plastic inner part, our jeans buttons are made from solid cast metal – without a plastic core and fully recyclable.

This is also relevant at the end of the product’s life: during metal recycling, the buttons are melted down and the metals they contain are subsequently returned to the recycling cycle. Tons of these plastic components inside conventional jeans buttons burn up during this thermal treatment and can end up in the environment.

That is why we deliberately avoid using such a plastic core in our jeans buttons. For us, this is yet another example of why recyclability begins right at the product development stage – even with a detail as small as a button.

Many of our zips are also manufactured in Germany: at Heiligenstädter Reißverschluss in Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Thuringia. The teeth and sliders are made of durable metal.

For us, these are not trivial matters. They demonstrate what we mean by material selection: from the fibre to the button.

For us, regionality begins before the ‘Made in’ label.

A sewn-in ‘Made in …’ label tells only part of a garment’s story, often just the final stage of a long production process.

The location of manufacture does not reveal where raw materials were sourced, yarns spun, fabrics woven, dyed and finished, or where buttons and zips were produced.

That is why, at wunderwerk, we maintain a clear European focus and, wherever it makes practical sense for the product in question, we prioritise partners from Germany, Europe and neighbouring Mediterranean countries for our fabrics, yarns, trims and production.

For us, proximity means more than just shorter transport routes. It enables long-term partnerships, personal relationships, faster coordination and better traceability throughout the supply chain. The fact that we know many of our manufacturers personally – in some cases for decades – is, for us, an integral part of responsible product development.

At the same time, regional sourcing does not mean that every raw material can come from Europe. Organic cotton or stone nut, for example, grow where the natural conditions are right for them. What matters most to us, therefore, is where something comes from, why we use it, and the transport routes and processing steps involved.

As little petroleum-based plastic as possible.

Since 2014, our guiding principle has been “organic. no plastic. fantastic.”.

It was coined when we first shipped our jeans without the traditional plastic polybags. Instead, the jeans are tied with a band made of organic cotton to ensure they remain protected during transport.

The principle behind this is simple: prevention is better than having to go to the trouble of separating, filtering or disposing of waste later on.

This philosophy also applies to our materials. We therefore only use petroleum-based plastics in exceptional cases and seek alternatives wherever these offer convincing functionality and quality.

We deliberately take a nuanced approach here. Some fits, for example, require a small amount of elastane to ensure freedom of movement, recovery and a long-lasting fit. Quality is also crucial here: a high-quality branded elastane is not comparable to a cheap, standard elastane. Anyone who tests the fabric briefly can quickly recognise the difference in its recovery.

Sewing threads or zip tapes may also contain synthetic components in certain washes, dyes and finishes if pure natural fibres cannot withstand the stresses in the long term.

After all, durability is also part of our commitment.

That is why our principle is: as few synthetic fibres as possible.

At the same time, we take a critical view, in particular, of the abrasion of synthetic fibres and the associated release of microfibres into the environment.

This is another reason why we favour natural and regenerated fibres wherever they meet our requirements for design, quality, function and durability.

Recycling is not the first solution.

And we also take a nuanced view of recycling. A material does not become sustainable simply because it has been recycled.

For us, the responsible use of materials begins much earlier: with prevention, a conscious choice of materials, and products that can be used for as long as possible, repaired, passed on or given a new purpose through upcycling. Only when these options have been exhausted does recycling come into play.

Recycling processes can involve considerable energy consumption and, depending on the material, lead to a loss of quality.

The effort involved and the result are not automatically in a reasonable proportion to one another. It is worth taking a closer look.

It is therefore crucial to consider the entire life cycle of a material – and not to view recycling as a justification for short-lived or unnecessarily resource-intensive products.

Origin, quality, fibre wear, durability and the subsequent separability and recyclability of the entire product are all factors we take into account.

Even at the end of a product’s life, the original product design plays a key role in determining how effectively materials can be reused. This is precisely why, for example, we avoid using a plastic core in our jeans buttons and opt for solid cast metal instead. In metal recycling, the metals contained can be returned to the recycling cycle without first having to separate a material mix of metal and plastic.

Our aim, therefore, is not recycling at any cost, but rather to select and develop materials and products from the outset in such a way that they remain in use for as long as possible and their components can subsequently be reused or recycled sensibly.

For wunderwerk, materials are therefore far more than just a list of ingredients on the label. Whether a single fibre or a carefully chosen blend of materials: they form the basis for design, comfort and quality – and are one of the most important decisions on the path to creating a responsibly developed garment.

Don’t Panic – it’s organic.

Find out more about our materials and why we use them.