INTERVIEW
and bags with references to the 1950s and sailor style. We’ve had various braids specially woven in Italy, and the collection will bring together different materials, including fine paper braid, hemp braid and some very fashionable knitted pieces made from 100% cotton.” Running a manufacturing business is
relentless. Ulrike describes the dizzying schedule behind Bedacht’s two annual collections. “This year gives a good example
of how demanding the cycle can be. As soon as the spring exhibitions were over, we began preparing the Summer 2027 collection. Around May, we visited our suppliers in Italy and put that collection into production, while also sourcing materials for Winter 2026 and sending them out to suppliers. June gave us only a brief chance to catch our breath before the new summer samples arrive. By the end of July, we will be showing Summer 2027 at the Düsseldorf trade fair. At the same time, deliveries of Winter 2026 will be arriving at our headquarters in Mönchengladbach to be dispatched in August, September and October. Alongside all this, we will be travelling to other trade fairs and visiting customers with the new Summer 2027 collection. Then production for Summer 2027 will be planned, and the Winter 2027 collection designed. Then the cycle starts again.
All in all, we have a brilliant team here in Mönchengladbach, hard- working and always there for us, popular with our customers and very dedicated.”
Personal touch, global reach
Bedacht now reaches customers across Japan, Korea and the USA as well as Europe. Yet despite this broad international presence, Ulrike believes that technology can never fully replace the value of face-to-face service. “We’re a bit old-fashioned and enjoy personal contact with our customers. We were one of the few hat companies that continued to exhibit at trade fairs throughout the pandemic, whenever they were able to take place.
We felt it was very important to support them. Nowadays, people no longer need to leave the house to buy anything
and major department stores have
closed down because shopping can be done on the internet. Before the pandemic we didn’t have an on- line catalogue, it wasn’t necessary. That’s changed now. However, the great thing about hats is that you have
to put them on
your head, try them on and feel
them. Online sales only really work for certain types of hats. Our customers come from many different sectors, but they are mostly specialist hat shops, where the owners put their heart and soul into serving their customers every single day. We really value that and very much hope that this way of connecting and meeting people will continue for many years to come.”
People too will be in the spotlight when it comes to celebrating this year’s quarter of a century in business. “Maik and I are on the same frequency and don’t like to take centre stage,” says Ulrike. “Having already missed all our other anniversaries, we’d like to celebrate this one with our families and staff, those who support us every day and play a significant role in ensuring that Bedacht runs well and brings joy to everyone involved. Most of all, we’d like to thank our customers, because without them, we wouldn’t be here. We just hope that everyone who has a Bedacht hat will continue to love it, and that it’s still giving great service in a hundred years’ time.”
More information
www.bedacht-online.de
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