As I completed the product design for my first backpack, I realised that the backpack would have to be sold for at least a 5-digit amount to make any profit. It took almost four years for the solution to find me.

Initially, I sold a few items every now and then and the quality of the backpacks spoke for itself. Design magazines published articles about my work and eventually, a Japanese company became aware of my work. Their approach is to sell design products via pop-up stores in large Japanese cities. In the past few years, I have sold my backpacks all over the world.

It would be fair to say that I am naturally stubborn. The idea was hard to let go of. I was sure that my backpacks had a place in the world. My parents are both freelance artists, so I grew up with the idea that during a process you often have questions or doubts about where things are going.

My work allows me to do what I want exactly the way I want it, and I love the life I have created with it. It shows that it is still possible to build a free and good life in Germany as a one-man show with a craft, innovative ideas and sustainable production. As it stands, I have three children.