OUR HISTORY

WE HAVE REMAINED TRUE TO OUR MISSION FOR OVER 30 YEARS

LANA's beginnings date back to 1987, a decade in which polyester flourished, especially in children's clothing. Hermann Kohnen and Anne Claßen-Kohnen were convinced, however, that their three children should wear plastic-free natural fiber clothing. This decision was followed by an unsuccessful search that inspired inventiveness and culminated in the courageous purchase of their own knitting machine. This was set up in the company's basement in Aachen, loaded with natural fiber yarns made of cotton and wool, and from then on produced the first designs of natural, pollutant-free diaper pants. However, word quickly spread among friends and acquaintances about the small production facility, the interest of others grew, the fits and cuts became more sophisticated, and the basement became a small retail store called LANA natural textiles .

From then on, Anne Claßen-Kohnen no longer just knitted diapers, but also sweaters and accessories such as scarves, hats, and the like. To round out their product range, the two also sold underwear, socks, and women's wear from other suppliers of natural textiles in their shop. The shop quickly became well-known in Aachen and the surrounding area, and what was once a personal labor of love evolved into a recognized, yet unconventional, business model. The eco-fashion movement was still in its infancy in the 1980s. To gain more attention for their ideology, concept, and fashion, they attended the first Biofach trade fair with their LANA knitwear collection.

The positive response and success of the collection at the trade fair led to growing orders and the expansion of the product range to include circular knit and jersey models, and thus also to the first-time outsourcing of production to regional companies.

From this point on, Lana was primarily associated with color, as it no longer used only colorless fibers as it had been at the beginning, but instead used intense, naturally colored yarns.

Today, LANA is a renowned company distinguished by its 35-year history. The innovative and sustainable idea of ​​producing ecological and socially fair fashion was seen by only a few competitors at the time. Thus, the founding couple contributed significantly to establishing today's production of sustainable fashion on the fashion market. With its collections developed twice a year, LANA remains an established brand in the sustainable market and is also treading the path into the conventional sector to spread its ideas and ideologies. They are supported not only by the LANA family, but also by their children, for whom the company was founded. But one thing has not changed: Anne and Hermann are still deeply involved in the production process. While it is no longer necessary these days to purchase and spin the organic cotton themselves, they have never completely outsourced production. They still purchase textiles themselves or have them knitted using their own yarns, and they decide for themselves who will be responsible for their garments. The patterns and our sample sewing department have also remained in-house since the beginning. Their ideas—and, with a growing team, their philosophy—are dear to them and the entire LANA family, and are intended to ultimately satisfy us and our customers for many years to come. This is how we create unique designs, high quality, and a high degree of expertise and decision-making freedom.

WE REMEMBER