'ALLES VON HIER'

[Everything from here]

 

The new Made in Germany bomber jacket by Esther Perbandt

Coinciding with the presentation of her new ZERO POINT Fall/Winter 2026/27 collection, Berlin-based designer Esther Perbandt is unveiling another extraordinary project: ‘ALLES VON HIER’ (Everything from here), a strictly limited edition bomber jacket that was made entirely in Germany – from the tailoring to almost all of the materials.

In a fashion industry that, despite the ubiquitous debates on sustainability, continues to be characterized by mass production, overproduction, and globalized low-wage structures, Esther Perbandt has been consciously setting an example for over 21 years. With her timeless, exclusively black “Eternal Collection,” produced in small series in Berlin and Poland, she consistently pursues a design philosophy that goes beyond short-lived trends.

With „ALLES VON HIER“ (Everything from here), she is now going one step further—and taking on a radical challenge:
A garment that is not only sewn in Germany, but whose materials—fabrics, lining, sewing thread, zippers, padding, snap fasteners—must also be produced in Germany.

Trigger: Sustainability with consequences

The idea arose in the course of working on the official Sustainability Surveys, which will be a prerequisite for participation in Berlin Fashion Week from mid-2026. The comprehensive disclosure of supply chains, production conditions, and material origins led to the central question:
Is a genuine “Made in Germany” product even feasible in fashion today?

The answer: Yes — but only with enormous effort.

 

Research against the reality of the industry

The problem was already apparent in the materials Perbandt has been working with for over ten years:
The cotton fabric, previously woven in Germany, will no longer be produced locally in the future. To secure the project, Perbandt purchased the last remaining stock available. The same applies to the lining—also a discontinued product from a German weaving mill.

For the metal zippers, she was able to draw on her long-standing collaboration with Heiligenstädter Reißverschlüsse , which still manufactures in Germany. The sewing thread used is also recycled and Made in Germany. Even for elastic bands, intensive research was necessary to find suitable qualities from German production.

The padding proved particularly challenging. Conventionally, it is made of inexpensive polyester and is produced almost exclusively in Asia. After extensive research, Perbandt came across a product from Freudenbergthat has since been discontinued: a biodegradable Lyocell padding manufactured in Germany—developed, tested, praised, but never brought to market due to lack of demand.
The manufacturer's conclusion: no interest from the industry.

The only acceptable exception in the project therefore remains recycled padding originating in the EU. Iron-on interfacing was completely dispensed with, as no sustainable alternative was available.

The press studs also required intensive research: only after several inquiries did Prym confirm that the exact model used was still being manufactured in Germany.

 

Limited edition, handmade, transparency

Due to limited material availability, ‘ALLES VON HIER’ (Everything from here) is limited to 30 numbered jackets. Each one is made in Esther Perbandt's own Berlin studio by her seamstress.

As a conscious counterpoint to the lack of transparency in the industry, the designer not only discloses all suppliers, but also the complete calculation of the product.

 

Supplier overview:

· Outer material: Kröner & Schlikker – 100 % cotton, OEKO-TEX® 100, Made in Germany

· Lining: Kröner & Schlikker – 100 % cotton, OEKO-TEX® 100, Made in Germany

· Padding: Freudenberg – 100% recycled fibers, Made in EU

· Zippers: Heiligenstädter Reißverschlüsse – 100 % polyester + brass, OEKO-TEX® 100, Rating for Sustainability 2026, Made in Germany

· Press studs: Prym – 100% brass, Made in Germany

· Elastic band: Helmut Pfeiffer GmbH - 100 % polyester, OEKO-TEX® 100, Made in Germany

· Sewing threads: Kupfer Nähgarne – 100% recycled polyester, OEKO-TEX® 100, Made in Germany

· Screen printing: Farbnetz Berlin - Made in Berlin

· Sewing production: esther perbandt Atelier - Berlin

All product information – from care instructions and size details to origin – has been screen printed directly onto the jacket. Classic sewn-in labels have been deliberately omitted as these are not produced in Germany.

 

 

China or Germany? A transparent CO₂ comparison

For the jacket “ALLES VON HIER”, Esther Perbandt deliberately and meticulously calculated the CO₂ footprint of the logistics and compared it with a conventional production scenario in the Far East.

The comparison scenarios

· China scenario: Production in Shenzhen, transport of the finished garments to Berlin by air freight

· Germany scenario: All materials sourced within Germany, delivery by truck/freight forwarding, manufacturing and retail in the Berlin studio — without any further transport routes

The calculation exclusively considers the transport of materials and finished goods. Production processes, energy consumption in factories, or material manufacturing are not included in this assessment.

 

The result (transport only)

· Air freight Shenzhen → Berlin:
approx. 220 kg CO₂e for 30 jackets
→ 7.3 kg CO₂e per jacket

· “Alles von hier” (suppliers within Germany):
approx. 2.3 kg CO₂e for 30 jackets
→ 0.08 kg CO₂e per jacket

In this scenario, transport by air causes approximately 97 times more CO₂ emissions than the fully Germany-based supply chain.

The calculation is conservative and does not take into account the so-called radiative forcing effect. When these effects are included, the climate impact of air freight is significantly higher.

What do these numbers mean in everyday terms?

To make the scale more tangible, the figures can be compared to everyday activities:

· 220 kg CO₂e roughly correspond to
     -> a car journey of approximately 1,100–1,400 kilometres in an average passenger vehicle (e.g. Berlin → Rome or Berlin → Barcelona)
     -> or more than 150 journeys of 30 minutes each on a well-utilised public bus

· 2.3 kg CO₂e roughly correspond to 
     -> 0–15 kilometres of driving, or
     -> just a few short everyday trips in urban traffic

· This comparison does not define “right” or “wrong” consumption. Instead, it highlights the climatic relevance of transport decisions alone — regardless of a product’s design, quality, or aesthetics.

· “ALLES VON HIER” is intended as a practical experiment:
What happens when supply chains are radically shortened — and one consciously accepts the additional effort and cost that this entails?

 

 

‘ALLES VON HIER’ (Everything from here) is less a product than a statement—about feasibility, about contradictions, and about an industry whose rhetoric on sustainability often does not match its decisions.

Photography: Ansgar Sollmann