Tranquillo

When good friends Christian Amthor and Michel Kremer founded a small “hippie” secondhand shop, they had no idea they would be so successful. Nor did they think that the shop would one day become the small but powerhouse fashion and home goods line, Dresden-based Tranquillo.  What they did know from the outset was that their business would be ethical. More than a decade later, their GoodWeave membership furthers Tranquillo’s commitment to justice. “We carefully chose a rug producer in India that met our values,’ explains the company’s PR director, Julia Rommeley. “When we found out they were GoodWeave licensed, it proved our standards were correct.”

Tranquillo, which now has eight shops in Germany and markets its products all over Europe as well as in Japan and the U.S., grew organically from a modest, artsy neighborhood shop carrying small household and fashion items from India. Gradually the owners began creating their own colorful and boho-inspired fashion line, always careful to use organic cotton and sustainable processes. Their home goods collection of household accessories, kitchen textiles, tableware and lamps also uses organic cotton and is manufactured in factories that are carefully vetted for safety, hygiene, absence of child labor and environmental concerns. “We want to have an impact on the lives of the people who make the products too,” Julia explains.

Tranquillo’s 100% cotton rugs are not only consistent with the company’s environmentally conscious and social justice values, but also the brand’s aesthetic. Many are playful, ornamental and Indian-inspired.  Others use recycled denim or remaindered fabric from Tranquillo’s fashion production. Still others are inspired by local textures such as an old German castle wall.

When it came to carrying a line of rugs, Julia says, the same ethical principles were applied not only because they reflect the owners’ personal beliefs, but also because a discerning European public now demands supply chain transparency. GoodWeave, the company determined, was a perfect fit. “The same values are in the DNA of our roots,” says Julia. “We want to be able to tell our customers they can trust us.”

For more, visit www.tranquillo-shop.de.