About Us / Our Story

FOR OVER 38 YEARS WE HAVE REMAINED TRUE TO OUR MISSION

LANA's origins date back to 1987, a decade in which polyester was booming, especially in children's clothing. Hermann Kohnen and Anne Claßen-Kohnen, however, were convinced that their three children should wear plastic-free, natural fiber clothing. This decision led to an unsuccessful search, which spurred their ingenuity and culminated in the bold purchase of their own knitting machine. This was set up in their 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 covers. Word of the small production facility quickly spread among friends and acquaintances, interest grew, the fits and cuts became more refined, and the basement evolved into a small retail business called LANA. LANA natural textiles .

From then on, Anne Claßen-Kohnen knitted not only diaper covers, but also sweaters and accessories such as scarves, hats, and the like. To complete their product range, the two also sold underwear, socks, and women's outerwear from other natural textile suppliers in their shop. The shop quickly became well-known in Aachen and the surrounding area, and what had once been a personal passion project transformed into a recognized, albeit unconventional, business model, as the eco-fashion movement was still in its infancy in the 1980s. To gain more attention for their ideology, their concept, and their fashion, they attended the inaugural Biofach trade fair with their LANA knitwear collection.

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

From this point on, Lana is primarily associated with color, because instead of using only colorless fibers as in the beginning, intense, naturally dyed yarns were used.

Today, LANA is a renowned company distinguished by its 35-year history. The innovative and sustainable idea of ​​producing ecologically and socially responsible fashion was recognized by only a few contemporaries. The founding couple thus made a significant contribution to establishing sustainable fashion production in the fashion market. With its collections developed twice a year, LANA remains a well-established brand in the sustainable market and continues to explore the conventional sector to further its ideas and ideology. They are supported not only by the LANA family but also by their children, for whom the company was originally founded. One thing, however, has remained unchanged: Anne and Hermann are still deeply involved in the production process. While it is no longer necessary to purchase and spin organic cotton themselves, they have never completely relinquished control of production. They still buy textiles themselves or have them knitted with their own yarns and decide who their garments are entrusted to. The pattern making and our sample sewing department have also remained in-house since the beginning. Their ideas – and, with a growing team, their philosophy – are close to their hearts and those of the entire LANA family, and are intended to satisfy us and our customers for many years to come. This results in unique designs, high quality, and a high level of expertise and decision-making power.

WE REMEMBER