MOOT stands for "Made Out Of Trash" . This name symbolizes the radical approach of producing new clothing exclusively from so-called trash, in other words, upcycling. Nils, a trained fashion designer, and Michael, a business graduate – two Berliners by choice and best friends with a shared vision:

To reform the fashion world and make it a bit more humane, ecological and sustainable.

We talked to Michael from MOOT about his brand.

1) MOOT - Made Out Of Trash. How did MOOT come about, how did you get started?

The idea for MOOT originated in 2019. Nils and I were in the final stages of our apprenticeships and university studies at the time. Nils told me he was caught in a dilemma: On the one hand, he loved designing things and creating new things. At the same time, he couldn't imagine working in such a dirty industry. I wasn't really aware at the time of the extent of the industry's social and environmental problems. I only learned about all of that through him. During his fashion design apprenticeship, Nils had already focused on upcycling. I found his approach to upcycling incredibly fascinating and wanted to support him with my business expertise. One thing led to another, and we finally founded MOOT in 2020.

2) Where is MOOT produced?

Our value chain is highly regional. We source our raw materials for our B2C brand MOOT from textile sorting facilities in Germany and the Netherlands. There, we purchase several tons of post-consumer waste monthly, which is then upcycled in Berlin or Poland.

3) You recently launched a collaboration with DHL – DHL x MOOT. Can you tell us a bit about it? How did the collaboration come about, why DHL, and what kind of products are the result?

The collaboration with DHL is truly fantastic. We've created 10 new products from DHL's discarded corporate clothing. These include shoulder bags made from softshell jackets and cushions crafted from iconic DHL polo shirts. But what's truly special about this collaboration is the sheer volume of materials. Many argue that upcycling isn't particularly scalable because it involves too small-scale production. With MOOT, we're proving the opposite: both our B2C brand and our B2B business demonstrate just how much material we can already process.

DHL is of course a great reference because (1) the brand is known to everyone and (2) DHL also has an exciting history with textile and fashion collaborations.

4) MOOT is also nominated for the German Sustainability Award. Any news yet?

We've advanced to the next round and are now in the final of the German Sustainability Award. We'll find out if we win at the end of November in Düsseldorf.

5) Your online shop has received the Green Commerce Online Shop Award, and MOOT has been included in the top 25 most sustainable online shops. How do you make an online shop sustainable? How do you handle packaging and returns? Do you have any tips for other online shops?

Well, the core of our work, upcycling, is already maximally sustainable. Because of this upcycling concept, we received a very high score from the jury. Additional aspects, such as climate-friendly shipping via DHL Go Green, round out the online shop. Unfortunately, returns are part of our industry. Luckily, we have a very low return rate. Furthermore, we can almost always reuse our returned items and resell the products.

6) There were also two physical MOOT stores in Berlin. Why were these closed?

The reasons for this are multifaceted, but ultimately, one simply has to say: it wasn't worth it. The costs of operating physical stores on a long-term basis were simply too high. Sometimes you have to refocus and re-evaluate existing strategies. We did this during 2024 and determined that focusing on online and B2B makes sense.

7) How do you ensure you always have enough raw materials? Are there production limits? How do you plan your collections? Is the focus on the product or the raw materials first?

Upcycling doesn't begin on a blank sheet of paper; it starts with the raw materials. Thanks to our close partnerships with recycling facilities, we have almost unlimited access to post-consumer waste. As someone who came to this industry from another field, I find it inexplicable that so few companies and brands take advantage of this opportunity.

8) What is planned next? Or what project would you like to see?

Both our B2C brand and our B2B business (i.e., corporate partnerships) are growing. However, we're noticing a particularly strong increase in demand from companies right now. Therefore, we're currently focusing more on corporate partnerships. We've already finalized some exciting new collaborations, and they'll be announced soon!

We thank Michael for the interview and are excited to see what comes next!