Just to let you know who is speaking to you, I am Bodo, Co-Founder of Blue Department. The other half is Niklas, also founder. So Hello. This is Blue Department. Here is our journey with Urth. 

It has always been a dream of ours to create. When Niklas and I first met, we quickly started to discuss for hours about existing products and brands, always with the outcome of what we would do differently. Whether it was the cut, the print, or the visual communication with the customer.

I remember very well when Niklas texted me during a lecture saying that we should find our own brand to tell our story and our understanding of aesthetics. So here we went – with a vision, designs, fabrics, and a very talented young designer but without a possibility to produce. 

Logically, if you want to create a product, you either manufacture it yourself or find a reliable partner. So basically what we did was send out keynotes to manufacturers to visualize the company’s ID and apply for a partnership. 

In August 2019, we sent such a keynote to info@urthapparel.com. Alexander Soler answered. He said he would be interested in working with us since he liked the presentation and ideas. 

For Niklas and me it has always been important to personally know who we are going to work with. Thus, we ensure that this person suits the brand. For us, it is not only the partner company we are going to work with but also the people behind who drive the business. 

In short, we arranged a get-to-know meeting in Milan with Alex. In our luggage the first self sewn prototypes, fabrics, and tons of ideas. Trust me, we had many ideas which we directly wanted to see implemented for the first collection. 

I remember when Alex looked at us (slightly surprised) saying that he is happy to help but perceives so many different products as too costly for the beginning. He recommended focusing on two key products, making those products great, and then moving on to the next style. This tip was worth gold. 

After visiting Milan we took some time to evaluate and make our decision. As you may guess, we decided to enter into a partnership with Urth Apparel. So the first order, including a T-Shirt and two hoodies, went out in October 2019. 

Now it got interesting. FYI, Blue Department aimed from the beginning on to apply very high quality and exceptional fabrics to each product. Therefore, we sent fabric samples to Italy to illustrate to Urth what we would like to work with. Then the process has taken its course. Samples were sent back and forth, evaluated, optimized, and recreated.

One says, “Good things take time“. It’s right. After a while, we found the right fabrics, cuts, and printing technique and were good to go. This wouldn’t have been possible without Urth – so thanks. 

VERY Shortly before (2 days) finishing the production, Covid-19 hit Peru, and companies needed to shut down. Disaster. For all involved. 

So what do you do if you can’t influence a situation? You accept it. OR you think about creating some other cool stuff for the future which could be realized. 

So Urth and us brought Blue Basic to life, a sustainable basic line with no branding. Really no branding. Coming soon. 

After the reopening of the factory things normally should have proceeded as planned. And the production did. Shortly after Urth could continue to produce, the collection was completed. However, the next challenge couldn’t be far. Indeed, there was a recent change in Peruvian law that determined the need for an export document (EUR1) above a certain value of goods. 

Since Covid-19 made governmental agencies shut down to a large extent, the application process for the document was too time-consuming. There needed to be another solution. And there was. 

What I want to say is that even if the situation seems hopeless, there is often a way to find a solution. Try to think out of the box. 

We are now taking a leap in time to October 2020. Blue Department has released its first collection WHITE BOX and we couldn’t be happier. The products are of very high quality, visual communication is very aesthetic and the video’s imagery seems magic (I know, very subjective but I can’t help it). 

What I want to express with this story about Blue Department and Urth is how important it is to be open-minded, create and learn continuously. 

A suitable scientific term expressing this partnership between Blue Department and Urth might be co-creation. 

Co-create together with your partner to achieve value. Exchange ideas. Talk openly about problems. Find solutions. 

To all the young people out there with great enthusiasm for creative work – put your thoughts into practice, go your own way and get inspiration from people rather than existing brands. 

Create something new that expresses your feelings and where you are proud of. If you want to start your journey, do it with Urth; trust me. 

Best,

B.