The Munich-based startup Jesango offers a platform for fair and sustainable fashion. The three founders explain in our 7 questions what they want to achieve with their startup.
Munich Startup: Who are you and what do you do? Please briefly introduce yourself and your platform!
JesangoJesango is the first shopping community for fairly produced and sustainable fashion. Jesango is derived from the Esperanto language (jes ŝanĝo) and means "yes to change." This is exactly what we want to promote in the fashion industry.
After a free, no-obligation registration, users gain access to exclusive offers of fair and sustainable products that change every 48 hours. Our focus is on young, up-and-coming fashion labels that combine fair and sustainable production with high fashion standards. We want to move away from the "eco" and "too expensive" labels that still surround fair fashion and make fair fashion easier for customers through discount campaigns. At the same time, we see ourselves as a social startup and donate to Made in Bangladesh eV with every order and build deep wells in regions particularly affected by the environmental pollution of the fast-fashion industry.
Behind Jesango are Catja Günther (32), Sophia Wittrock (28), and Alina Friedrichs (33). Almost exactly a year ago, we faced a similar problem independently of each other. We had already switched our diet to a more sustainable one, drastically reduced our plastic consumption, and offset our CO2 emissions from flying. In the fashion sector, however, we had previously given little thought to sustainability and production conditions. This despite the fact that the fashion industry is the dirtiest industry in the world after the oil industry. We simply lacked the awareness and access to fair fashion. We quickly realized that if no one else was doing it well, we would do it.
“We learn a lot from the big players”
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Jesango: Of course, there are already online shops for fair and sustainably produced fashion. However, they are difficult to find, have a limited selection, and are still labeled "eco" and "too expensive." Many are not user-friendly as marketplaces, as the fashion labels ship themselves, you pay multiple shipping fees, and receive multiple individual packages.
We take a lot of inspiration from the big players when it comes to customer experience, fashion standards, and aesthetics. Discovering and buying fair fashion should simply be fun. Therefore, we develop mobile-first, select the labels with the utmost care, and ship ourselves. As the first shopping community for fair fashion, we offer exclusive and carefully curated discount promotions for our members. Jesango is an affordable and easy entry into the world of fair fashion.
Munich Startup: What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Jesango: We work with many small fair fashion labels and currently purchase almost everything we offer in our shop. This is very convenient for the customer, as we can guarantee short delivery times and carbon-neutral shipping. At the same time, this ties up a lot of capital. Finding a good balance between service and profitability was and remains a challenge.
Jesango is looking for investors
Munich Startup: Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
Jesango: We've been online for two weeks, and the initial response has far exceeded our expectations. Almost 500 people have already registered with us, and we deliver packages to the post office every day. It's so great to see how many people are enthusiastic about fair fashion, or are inspired to do so by us. Nevertheless, it's clear to us that we need external funding, especially to cover marketing expenses and the cost of goods. Therefore, we are currently looking for suitable investors.
Munich Startup: What does Munich mean to you?
Jesango: In many ways, Munich is the ideal place for us to start a business. There is a fairly large startup scene that offers a lot of exchange. At the same time, as a startup, you don't get lost in the crowd, as can quickly happen in Berlin. Since October, we have been supported by the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship and the Social Entrepreneurship Akademie Munich University of Applied Sciences. The programs are extremely well-organized, offering coaching, a prototyping budget, and office space in the heart of Munich. Since Catja and Sophia had already studied and worked in Munich, it was clear to us that we definitely wanted to build our company here.
Munich Startup: How does your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
Jesango: Fair fashion and the whole topic of sustainability is a huge future trend. Society is undergoing radical change in this area. We're noticing from the initial reactions of our target audience how popular solutions like ours are right now. We also don't plan on letting ourselves be overwhelmed by the e-commerce jungle—in this respect: We're definitely the next unicorn!
Munot a startup: Isar or English Garden?
Jesango: Isar — case of beer in the river and barbecue on the pebble beach.
