It is unusual for a twelve-year-old boy to ask his grandmother to help him make a dress for his own mum. That’s what Dennis Dean Fisher did, and with him it didn’t end with that one dress. Twelve years on, the fashion entrepreneur, now aged 24, has his own company headquarters in the Swabian town of Pfullingen, where he is commissioned to design collections, employs eleven seamstresses and is on the way to his first collection in his own name, under the ‘Dean’ label.

Dennis’s grandmother was employed as a cutter in the textile industry in Reutlingen; his grandfather worked at Stoll and developed flat knitting machines. “Clothing has always fascinated me,” says Dennis, who after leaving school in Metzingen qualified as a tailor on a state-recognised course. There followed six months in retail and another six months with the company that he now owns. It previously traded under the name ‘Belinski’, producing only off-the-peg knitwear and woven bedlinen. When the company was put up for sale, Dennis – then just 21 years of age – did not hesitate for long.

Young entrepreneurship – ‘Made in Germany’

He obtained financing with the aid of a guarantee bank, took over the seamstresses and the machine room and extended the lease on the premises. He employed someone to work in the office and undertook a “complete re-founding” of ‘Dean’, involving “setting up an office structure.” He then set about acquiring customers, making contacts and nurturing them. The company continues to produce bedlinen for its original customers. Dennis stands fair and square behind the real ‘Made in Germany’ concept and in his opinion, “we have no need to apologise for our wages and salaries in Germany.” Nonetheless, he also relies on other European countries so that, for example, he can deliver quickly if necessary, and has also established contact for that purpose with a company in Romania.

He says he has no wish to subject himself to the dictates of price reductions, since ‘the sales’ can ruin fashion. For his first womenswear collection, therefore, he wants to give himself time, rely on the zeitgeist but offer classic elements such as t-shirts, blouses and jackets. He aims to bring these to market for the 2017/18 season. Trousers, however, will not form part of that first collection. “Too complicated – it’s expensive, getting the cut for a perfect fit.” In any event, they are expected to be bio-cotton products – that is, cotton from certified organic cultivation.

His collection designs are already in demand from companies that want to differentiate themselves with an outfit of their own. He is currently designing t-shirts for employees of the radio broadcaster RT Neckar-Alb. “We make anything that the customer wants,” says Dennis Dean Fischer, and that includes upcycling products such as pencil cases and belts from old bicycle tyres and inner tubes.

Living the freedom

Every customer has the freedom to bring in their own style. Nobody is pigeonholed, according to the credo of the talented young fashion entrepreneur from Southern Germany. But quality is at the forefront – high quality fabrics, high quality work, fair and sustainable products and a love of detail. His aim is even broader: if he has his way, the German scene will enjoy a renaissance under the tagline: “Knowing each other and recommending each other.” The country and the industry need young entrepreneurs such as this. “‘Dean’ isn’t just clothing but an appreciation of textile products.”