Made in Neukölln: (Education + Integration) x Local Social Enterprise

Note: Where possible, the links refer to websites in English. However, as the portrayed project is located in Berlin, Germany, most of the organisations mentioned in this article only provide German language websites.

In 1996 one Hauptschule (year 5 through 10) in Berlin made infamouse headlines in the news: Teachers of the Rütli school, located in one of Berlin’s poorest neighbourhoods Neukölln, called in a letter to the city’s government for the school to be closed. They felt no longer in the position to cope with the students’ violent behaviour. Or so they said.
Unfortunately for the teachers, and luckily for the students, the letter leaked to the media. And was the start to a huge, essentially still ongoing, discussion of the issues related to the value of education for young immigrants and children of disadvantaged family backgrounds, and the reasons behind why they have a hard time finding their way into paid jobs.
[Side note: Keywords re. insights: Lack of knowledge about available options and perspectives.]
Fortunately also for the youngsters, long-time school neighbour and social activist Tom Hansing, did not agree with the opinion the teachers had. In a unique effort, he managed to put together a group of students, motivated teachers, volunteers, find screen printing equipment, and raise donations and government grants in order to found the social enterprise ‘RÜTLI-WEAR‘.

The enterprise is a screen print fashion label and workshop, where youngsters in the last 2 years at the Rütli school would be allowed to work in a business environment, with full responsibility although with ample support (and indeed supervision) at hand where needed: It was up to them to organise and buy stocks of T-shirts and hoodies, find buyers, do the designs and execute them, deliver orders on time, do the accounting, invoicing, payments etc. And miraculously, the concept worked. The youngsters that decided to commit for 6 month to their work at the RÜTLI WEAR workshop, outside school hours of course, started to develop dreams, perspectives, aspirations, discipline, and to hold each other accountable for their success or failure. In addition, hands-on-skills such as screen printing, business administration and management of a small apparel enterprise would be learned. For the second edition 6 months later, more students were accommodated then what the project technically could cope with.

3 years in, the simple idea has progressed and broadened both, its base of supporters, notably among local fashion and apparel businesses in the neighbourhood, as well as among the schools that take part in the initiative. ‘Made in Neukölln‘ now boasts a collaboration of 22 local enterprises, as well as a 2nd project called ‘ COMMON-BASIC-T‘.

The COMMON-BASIC-T was designed by students of the Röntgen-Schule in Berlin, and is the result of months of research, and evaluation with peers of their own age. Cut and shape, this was the principle goal for their task, should be such that the T-shirt would fit perfectly bodies of different sizes and shapes, and that it would suit as many wear scenarios as possible: Under a business shirt, with jeans, with a skirt, business casual, for sports etc. The entirety of the process was up to the students, however, they were in close contact with owners of local enterprises, all of which are committed to apparel being as sustainable as possible, ecologically as well as with respect to labour conditions, while fostering the local economy.
The T-shirt is, at the time of writing, available for sale, and produced in small editions of 300 pieces. Its retail price hoover around 35 Euros, hence in line with global brands like American Apparel and GAP. The focus for the production is set upon 3 goals: 1) integrating immigrants with highly developed textile skills, but otherwise limited education or language skills, into the productive work force. In reality these are normally immigrant women who then work from home, but who otherwise hardly ever got in contact with the world outside their home; 2) bring the Berlin apparel and fashion production sector, such as fabrics whole sellers and retailers, tailors, limited edition manufacturing units etc., back into the public eye and awareness; and 3) last but certainly not least prove that this could all be achieved for a mere price difference of 5 Euros per piece when compared to T-shirts available at e.g. main stream retail outlets.
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COMMON-BASIC-T supply chain facts:

• Design & Realisation: students of Röntgen-Schule, Berlin. Supported by Common Works, a supply chain network that offers all ingredients – from fabrics to manufacturing under an all-sustainable concept and with local production.
• Fabrics: Lebenskleidung, a specialist in GOTS and fair trade certified, and plant dyed fabrics.
• Production: Individuals and small tailoring workshops in and around Neukölln, Berlin.
• Screen printing: RÜTLI WEAR, the social enterprise workshop associated with Rütli Hauptschule, Berlin.
• Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
• Colours: Black, white
• Retail price: 35 Euros app.