Another Cotton Lab (ACL) is a young streetwear label from Düsseldorf that was launched in 2023. The vision: to combine the running lifestyle and fashion in a whole new way, all around your own community. A big part of the brand and above all an aspect for which they are known is their Sunday Running Club, which takes place every week in Düsseldorf. And this year it also took place in New York City. Another Cotton Lab has grown beyond Düsseldorf and Germany in the last two years and has developed a brand community across Europe and the States. Known for cool graphic prints on shirts and sweaters, Another Cotton Lab now offers a wide range of pieces, from puffer jackets and trousers to prints and accessories.
Brand history and development
The brand was founded by Franziska(Franzi) Ebisch, David Ebisch and Niklas Janik, who started their own label after several years of experience in the fashion industry as a service provider. Tired of everyday life and always using their own creativity for others, they developed Another Cotton Lab’s first collection in 7 days. The core team consists of the founders Franzi, David Ebisch and Niklas Janik (creative/art director) and Felix Adams, who acts as brand manager. Together, these four minds form the creative core of Another Cotton Lab.
In the current brand world, in which more and more influencer brands are coming onto the market, Another Cotton Lab is proud to be an independent brand: “We are a real brand, with real employees, real infrastructure. Another Cotton Lab supports itself as a brand and is not dependent on a personality,” explains Felix Adams in the interview.
Since 2023, the brand has continued to develop and change. The collections have grown and, above all, Another Cotton Lab has developed further internally and improved and expanded its own processes. The brand produces itself in Hilden and as David Ebisch explains in an interview with FashionUnited, this is very important to them as a brand and ensures them full control over their own collections and production. They see a big advantage in this own production, says Niklas Janik in an interview: “We have an incredibly well-developed infrastructure and are therefore very quick when it comes to new products, delivery times or trends.”
Design aesthetics and brand identity
From the very beginning, Another Cotton Lab was characterized by a conscious design aesthetic and strong brand identity. The label is known for its cool screen-printed prints on oversized T-shirts and hoodies, but Another Cotton Lab has also continued to develop and expand its own collection. Today these include everything from head to toe, including shoes. The graphic designs combine exactly the vision of the brand, such as the classic Sunday Running Club shirt or prints that address lifestyle themes such as travel, coffee culture or Pilates. The streetwear pieces are predominantly unisex and combine a sporty casual look with urban coolness.
Oversized silhouettes, simple cuts and harmonious color palettes from soft pastel tones to classic neutral colors are typical. The philosophy is even reflected in the logo: It is deliberately minimalist and is intended to symbolize the cool, sporty lifestyle: combining fashion with sport. Overall, ACL embodies a modern streetwear culture in which functional design, community spirit and stylish lifestyle mesh seamlessly.
Community First: Sunday Running Club
A unique selling point of Another Cotton Lab is the strong focus on their community, especially the Sunday Running Club. This running event, initiated by Another Cotton Lab, has been taking place every Sunday morning since May 2024 and starts in front of its own flagship store in Düsseldorf’s Carlstadt (Bastionstraße 10). What initially started with just four running enthusiasts developed into a mass movement within weeks.
After just a few runs, over 300 people took part, and in an evening night run there were even almost 2,000 runners. The idea behind it: Running as a lifestyle event. In contrast to the traditional running club, ACL celebrates the culture surrounding sport, the sense of community is in the foreground. “We have a picture hanging in our store with a saying: ‘To love running is to make it a space others can love too’ and that describes our motivation for our running club pretty well,” emphasized Felix Adams. Accordingly, there is an open, inclusive atmosphere: all participants are welcomed, there are clear rules for respectful interaction and women in particular should feel safe and comfortable.
The Running Club also offered a special run in New York City this year, the week of the marathon, showing how popular and well-known the brand is in the USA. Almost 400 people came together for the run and ran with the team through the city and Central Park, which once again showed the four of them what impact Another Cotton Lab has outside Germany and, above all, their vision of lifestyle and fashion.
Customer relations and social media
Another Cotton Lab forms a wide range of customers through its own community, from young to older people, everyone joins in and is also a customer. “In our store you will be welcomed with a warm, friendly hello, you don’t have to worry that you aren’t cool or fashionable enough for the store or the pieces.” said Brand Manager Felix Adams. Another Cotton Lab wants to connect, one aspect of their success and also customer loyalty is the continuity in this very vision.
Social media also reflects exactly that, it’s not just about the brand’s collections and products, it’s about its community and its vision. They announce their events via Instagram and show insights into collections and promotions, such as their own warehouse sales or collaborations. The account appears to be personally run by the real people behind Another Cotton Lab and social media trends are repeatedly picked up. This lively and cool style makes it almost seem like a brand diary.
Collections and pricing
Another Cotton Lab presents its fashion in the form of several collections per year, which include both seasonal lines and themed capsule collections. Classically, four main collections appear per year (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter), supplemented by intermediate drops with their own mottos.
Anoher Cotton Lab now offers not only unisex pieces, women’s and men’s collections but also its own performance line, once again combining sport with fashion.
The collections say a lot about the brand itself, the four main collections show the long-term developments of the brand, while the smaller capsule collections, according to David Ebisch, say much more about the current status quo of Another Cotton Lab: “We offer these in limited quantities because we want to keep the magic.”
In terms of price, Another Cotton Lab positions itself in the streetwear midfield:
T-shirts are typically around €40-50 (example: Sunday Running Club T-shirt for €49.90),
Sweatshirts at around €60-80 and hoodies around €70-90,
Some more elaborate items such as knitted sweaters or special edition hoodies range up to just under €90
Caps and accessories start at around €20-30,
At the top end of the range are high-quality outerwear pieces: depending on the version, winter jackets or puffer coats can cost up to around €350, such as the lined Another Down Puffer Jacket in the online shop at €349.99
Despite this range, ACL makes sure to offer a fair price-performance ratio – motto: Premium quality should remain affordable.
Global presence
Although Another Cotton Lab has local roots in Düsseldorf, the brand operates with an international mindset. The DACH region accounts for a large proportion of orders, but the brand is also very strong outside of Germany, particularly in the USA and surrounding countries, says David Ebisch. The website is available in multiple languages and orders can be made worldwide in the online shop – an indication of the global focus.
Another Cotton Lab now sends packages from New York to Hong Kong, while runners’ shirts are put on in Düsseldorf on Sundays. This balance of local ties and global reach clearly characterizes the brand. Despite international success, the founders maintain their connection to Düsseldorf through local collaborations, while at the same time the community is networked globally on Strava and social media.
ACL is also thinking beyond Germany in terms of stationary operations. The team is already working on expanding into additional markets: “The next store is being planned and will not be in Germany,” revealed Niklas Janik in an interview.
Another Cotton Lab is also available throughout Germany via online platforms such as Zalando or About You and also in over 200 selected stores such as P&C or Breuninger, although great attention is paid to the selection of whether the stores fit the brand, says David Erbisch to FashionUnited.
Future outlook
The rapid growth of Another Cotton Lab and the ever-growing international presence show a lot of potential. The successful running event in New York City and the strong sales figures outside of Germany suggest that the brand will continue to gain recognition and popularity worldwide.
With another store outside Germany, Another Cotton Lab could make another big leap in the brand’s standing on the market. Another Cotton Lab wants to make the brand more tangible for even more people, especially outside of Germany, says Niklas Janik about their future plans.
