A company shows personality
Interview with Marion Hartmann, Managing Director of ARTiS M. Hartmann GmbH
With a uniform appearance at trade fairs or other events as well as in contact with customers or potential employees, companies show their individuality and personality. Because uniform company attire also strengthens team spirit, it is anything but 'same old, same old', but rather an important aspect of corporate identity. At ARTiS M. Hartmann GmbH, individuality is a top priority: the Munich-based company designs company clothing away from the mainstream, with a touch of something very special – for wearing and feeling good.
Before Marion Hartmann founded ARTiS M. Hartmann, she herself worked for a large, international high-tech company. "Millions were spent there on image promotion and marketing measures, such as international trade fairs, events, and sponsorships. Yet, everything available for company clothing at these events or as customer gifts in the catalog was always the same, nothing special. You could have your own logo printed on it, but that was about it," recalls the CEO. "I found this particularly sad because the company I worked for at the time had very special products to offer. In my opinion, it should have been able to present itself as special at events and to customers as well."
Since Marion Hartmann had worked in the fashion industry during her studies, she still had contacts there and had her company at the time create its own employee outfits. "Things like jackets, caps, and sweaters, which could also serve as customer gifts," she says. "At the same time, the common clothing also created a great sense of unity in the team." For Marion Hartmann, this was the starting point for the idea to continue in this direction and to found her own company, which started very classically in the living room.
'Can't you also...?'
With the founding of the company, the search for affordable yet high-quality producers began, because to be able to gain a foothold in the market, the unique garments could not be significantly more expensive than what was previously available.
"This then became a typical 'Can't-you-just story'," she recalls. "Satisfied customers then also came to us with their own ideas: 'Can't you also take care of the warehousing, the shootings, the catalog creation, can you help us with pricing, can you also produce real workwear and functional clothes, can you get the right accessories as well?'" Today, ARTiS M. Hartmann has customers throughout Europe and a global supplier network. With currently 25 employees, the company generates an annual turnover of between five and six million EUR.
Individual Ideas and Solutions
For the managing director, workwear is an infinitely wide field: "When a customer approaches us, we try first and foremost to understand what he envisions, what requirements the clothing must meet and what it will be used for. Our top priority is that the employees not only enjoy wearing our clothes and feel suitably and well-dressed, but that it also contributes to strengthening the team spirit."
In view of the design of the clothing, we fully cater to the customer's demands: "It's not about simply applying a logo, but already addressing the design itself, for example, the corporate colors. The balancing act that we always have to succeed in is between the corporate identity of the company and the taste and area of use of the target group."
That the company excels in this is evidenced not least by its long-standing success. "We have always aimed for long-term customer loyalty rather than quick sales," says the managing director. "In conjunction with our customer orientation, this is what makes our success. To find individual ideas and solutions for each customer is the most important thing in our industry."