Drykorn CEO Marco Götz on new markets, relaxed tailoring and the new dual leadership

Financial crises, pandemics, geopolitical turmoil – for Marco Götz, a state of emergency is the norm. The Drykorn founder is correspondingly calm when looking back on a first half-year that saw the Kitzingen-based label suffer a significant loss in menswear due to the Wormland insolvency.

In an interview with FashionUnited, Götz discusses growing international markets, the shift in tailoring and the new dual leadership with co-CEO Marino Edelmann.

Mr Götz, how was the first half of the year for Drykorn?

It was stable. We experienced a major insolvency with one of our clients, Wormland. This created some imbalance in the menswear division and made things more challenging. We have since compensated for this and will continue to improve through expansion into international markets. In womenswear, we are still seeing good growth.

Which markets are you focusing on?

We are currently most active in Central Europe. Two years ago, we added Spain and Greece, which are developing very positively. Overall, everything in the resort and holiday locations is performing extremely well – Mallorca; Ibiza; the Spanish coast; and also the ski resorts.

Why are these holiday regions developing so well?

We are observing different purchasing behaviour there. In these resort locations, it is all about ready-to-wear. Customers can wear it immediately; it is not bought to be stored.

The high-fashion part of the collection is not automatically sold alongside it. It is more about customers having forgotten something for their holiday or looking for something that suits the weather.

Which pieces are currently selling well at Drykorn?

Trousers and knitwear continue to perform well, in both womenswear and menswear. In tailoring, we are currently undergoing a transformation for men. We no longer have a slim-fit suit in the collection and are moving towards 'loose' and relaxed styles. It will take some time for this to become truly commercial, however.

What topics are currently on the minds of your retail partners?

Delivery dates are a classic issue. When do you deliver what? We have been dealing with this for 25 years and there is always room for improvement because we are constantly reacting to information from previous seasons. Added to this are different weather conditions and geopolitical factors, which lead to a certain price sensitivity.

The issues are not really different from previous years, but things have not become worse either. There are always a few points of discussion that become sticking points. Considering what is happening in the world, the situation is actually stable.

Do you see this way of dealing with the crisis mood as a bit of a 'new normal'?

For me, the 'new normal' began 30 years ago when I started in the industry. It was challenging even then and everyone said: “Do something else, just don't go into this industry.” In the meantime, we have had everything from 9/11 and the financial crisis to Brexit, Trump, Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine. There is always something.

Normality is that something unforeseen always happens. There are many different influences that repeatedly make the situation challenging, but that is precisely what is normal. Perhaps there is a brief phase where nothing happens, but it usually does not last long.

Marino Edelmann has been co-CEO at Drykorn since June. How did this decision come about?

I had been considering this for a long time because my areas of responsibility had simply become too diverse. Ten years ago, the structure was clearer: there was product; sales; HR; and production. Now, areas such as technology and corporate development have been added, and marketing was not even a topic for us in the past. Sales has also become much more varied.

Previously, there was a clear path: managing channels through wholesale. Today, we have our own stores, which we will continue to push; e-commerce, which we are expanding; and various concession models, all of which are different.

Are you planning to expand the management team further in the long term?

For now, it is stable as it is. We are well-positioned for our size. The question now is more about what the new goals are and what new approaches we can take.

What are they?

We have not seized many opportunities – including in terms of sales, international markets and expansion – because we lacked the manpower.

You just mentioned your own stores. The new store in Düsseldorf recently opened. What is the strategy for this area?

We have a store concept that we will also roll out in other cities. It always has to be the right opportunity. Simply opening a shop for the sake of opening a shop makes no sense. We open a store with the intention of making money from it – we will not open a store purely as a brand ambassador.

We are working on several other locations and are in good discussions in a number of cities, but it really has to be the right fit.

A few years ago, you also tested the international waters with a pop-up in Zurich.

That was really just an opportunity because a client wanted to implement it together with us. It is very important to us to do things together with our partners. We have enquiries from abroad – from Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands. There are interesting possibilities there, and anything can happen.

Finally, how do you plan to close the year?

We are planning for growth and will hopefully be close to double-digit growth. It is also possible that it will remain in the single digits. Under conditions where you are not necessarily going full throttle, that would be fine.

The market, especially wholesale, is very shaky. Many retailers are struggling but are now finding their footing again. What is needed now is the courage to take a new or different step. That is why we are not going into next year with total euphoria, but we will definitely generate growth.

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