Your Cart is Empty
Interview with the man behind the name
This is the motto of Verdandy founder Manuel Rauner , behind whom stands a small, enthusiastic team brimming with ideas. Born in Burgenland, south of Vienna, Manuel is a self-made entrepreneur.
Verdandy is more than just a jeans brand. When you get up in the morning and leave your cozy, comfortable bed, you want to take some of that feeling with you, that comfort, that coziness. When you put on a pair of Verdandy jeans, you can take that feeling with you into the day. Verdandy is emotion you wear.
It's all about feeling good all day long, which boosts self-confidence. Success in all kinds of situations, whether at the office or in your free time, depends entirely on the emotions we project. When you feel good in your own skin, or rather, in your clothes, others notice. And Verdandy conveys that good feeling. You radiate what you wear. Feeling good changes your day for the better. That's what Verdandy stands for.
We value fabrics that meet these standards. One touch and you know, wow, this is something different from anything I've had hanging in my wardrobe before. This takes a lot of time. We look through hundreds of fabrics, we work with a wide variety of fabric producers who also have to meet our requirements and fulfill a sustainability aspect. And everything is produced in Europe.
Yes, we've set the bar very high and are continuously raising it. Our motto is: local, sustainable, and, wherever possible, organic. We won't stay at our current level, but will become more sustainable step by step until we reach a very high standard. This is particularly evident in our new collection: we use organic cotton, recycled cotton, and polyester.
Yes, it's very rare to find comfortable, cozy fabrics right now, because the current trend is towards vintage, just like in the 1980s and 1990s. Having comfortable materials and producing sustainably is what separates the wheat from the chaff.
That's right! And they make the wearer look very good in them, too!
I tried on a lot of different clothes, including a lot of jeans, and I always thought, okay, they might look great, but they're not exactly comfortable. Isn't there something else? Something like your favorite piece that you wear again and again, and that also looks stylish? I just couldn't find it. And that's why I thought I wanted to take a look behind the scenes and explore the question: what's actually stopping us from making a stylish pair of jeans that meets both criteria – looking good and feeling good? I then met with many fabric manufacturers and found 90% of the materials unsuitable for what I wanted to create. We all know those pants that shrink a size after half a day, which you then have to throw straight into the washing machine to shrink them back down. That's not exactly sustainable either. It wastes a lot of water.
That's what I chose. The idea arose out of necessity. I spent a lot of time sitting in the office, the tight jeans were cutting off my legs, I was glad when I could finally take them off in the evening, I could see the seams on my thighs. I thought, this can't be right, there has to be a better way. And if I feel this way, then I'm sure others – especially men – feel the same. I've found a niche in the market that hadn't been filled before.
Verdandy is borrowed from Norse mythology. I was looking for something that embodies our fabric, something with a story running through the entire line, and that's how I stumbled upon Verdandy. She's the goddess of fate, who also weaves the thread of destiny. I liked this connection to fabric in both a literal and metaphorical sense. Also because the goddess Verdandy represents the here and now, making decisions, and creativity. All of that is what we want to embody: choosing a local brand, reducing CO2 emissions, but also choosing to feel good about myself, choosing a brand I don't know but like. Because I like it, not because others like it.
Yes! And self-confidence. You know how it is: you have a life-changing experience, go to the hairdresser, get a new haircut, feel really good about it, and everyone says, "Hey, you look great, have you had a makeover?" We often achieve the same effect with our jeans. Our customers tell us they've often been asked about the pants, "Hey, have you lost weight? You look amazing. There's something different about you than before." These are often really emotional stories, not just about making beautiful pants, but also stories of real life transformations.
Exactly these reactions. The positive energy and increased self-confidence that our customers experience. That we have more than just a good product and are constantly improving.
There's actually a couple where he complains that she's always taking his jeans because she finds them so comfortable and they fit so well. And then there are those who bought the same jeans and even went out in matching outfits. So I wouldn't rule out the possibility that a solution will emerge in the foreseeable future. A women's collection with the same underlying philosophy: stylish, comfortable, sustainable.
We will take our customers on a virtual tour of our production facilities, giving them a behind-the-scenes look. We'll answer questions like: How many people are involved in making a pair of jeans? Where and how is the work done? What is the process from thread to finished trousers? The creation of the very garment you're wearing right now.
That was THOR, which only exists in a limited form today. It evolved into DONAR. It's exactly the same cut. Donar is the thunder god in Norse mythology.
A dark blue Mustang, faded at the front. I was very proud when I bought it, but looking back, I have to say it wasn't comfortable. None of the jeans I've owned were comfortable. With new technology, so much more is possible these days. It's also about the weave, which is what makes the fabric elastic; it's not just the elastane that's responsible for the stretch, but the weaving technology itself.
There were a few setbacks that, in retrospect, turned out to be very positive. Our very first collection wasn't as cohesive as we had hoped because the trouser legs were too long. So I turned them into shorts, which were extremely well-received. And ever since, we've been constantly asked about short summer trousers.
When my parents applauded at Fashion Week, it gave me so much strength and encouragement. My parents always said, whenever I started something new: "Do what you believe in, even if it doesn't fit our plan for you, but is your plan and your idea. We support and encourage you." Seeing my parents' shining eyes at Vienna Fashion Week was a truly beautiful moment.
I always set myself small, achievable goals, progressing step by step and in stages. Currently, it's the launch of this new website, which I've been looking forward to for a long time. This signals a complete makeover. Verdandy radiates joie de vivre, and that's exactly what we show in our videos. This is for our customers, our loyal fans, who constantly give us this same joie de vivre through their feedback. I would never have thought it possible that a piece of clothing could have such a massive impact on our well-being. That's precisely where I want to start and reach more people with our trousers.
