Organic cotton: undyed and naturally beautiful. Under the heading “No Dye”, German round-the-world sailor Boris Herrmann from Team Malizia and OLYMP – the successful family-run company from Bietigheim-Bissingen (Ludwigsburg district, Baden-Württemberg, Germany) – are continuing their joint commitment in terms of sustainability and creating a diverse range of clothing.

Mark Bezner, owner and of OLYMP, explains: “When it comes to sustainability, we’ve already steered a very consistent course in recent years and already made a great deal of progress in this regard. With our Boris Herrmann x OLYMP collections, we’re not only emphasising the responsible design of our range, but also creating further beacons for sustainability”.

Following “All Nature” in April 2024, the second joint collection, “No Dye”, will now follow in October 2024. It is once again based on natural materials made from renewable raw materials. The seven-piece “No Dye” collection includes two shirts and one half-zip sweater, hoodie, overshirt, long-sleeved polo and T-shirt and showcases organic cotton’s natural beauty, which is certified according to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Doing away with the dyeing step allows the individual fine structure and pattern of the natural material to come into its own. In addition, the shortened manufacturing process means that no colouring chemicals are used. This means that the particularly innovative “No Dye” collection fits seamlessly into its overarching production commitment, in which OLYMP already sets high standards for chemical management. The items from Boris Herrmann x OLYMP can be flexibly combined with each other. This makes this collection the basic configuration for a more sustainable wardrobe, one that only requires a few made-to-last items and may be supplemented with additional garments at any time.

In a collaboration between the circumnavigator and the fashion brand, several capsule collections are planned. They are each dedicated to a central challenge in product design and present innovative sustainability and design ideas. The collections are part of the “Green Choice” sustainability label that was launched back in autumn 2021. OLYMP uses it to identify products that particularly stand for environmental sustainability. The ambitious strategy behind Green Choice is based on three pillars, namely the use of more sustainable materials, more environmentally-friendly production and more sustainable product packaging. Independent seals such as GOTS, OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN and TENCELTM are a testament to its broad entrepreneurial commitment. The aim is to convert the entire range to Green Choice by 2025. Around 80 per cent of the range already meets these criteria.

The ambassador for this ambitious programme is Boris Herrmann, skipper of Team Malizia. With him, OLYMP not only has a multi-award-winning professional sailor at its side, he was also the first German to take part in the prestigious Vendée Globe, considered the toughest solo yacht race in the world, for which he will be setting sail again in November 2024. With “A Race We Must Win – Climate Action Now”, Team Malizia’s mission to protect the climate, Boris Herrmann is simultaneously embracing a clear sustainability message and is hence the ideal partner for OLYMP.