Brand Radar: From Sunday Running Club to a global community at Another Cotton Lab

Another Cotton Lab (ACL) is a young streetwear label from Düsseldorf that was founded in 2023. Its vision is to connect sport culture and fashion in an entirely new way, with everything revolving around its own community. A major part of the brand, and one of the aspects it is best known for, is its Sunday Running Club, which takes place every Sunday in Düsseldorf. Over the past two years, Another Cotton Lab has grown beyond Düsseldorf and Germany, building a brand community across Europe and the United States. Known for cool graphic prints on T-shirts and sweatshirts, Another Cotton Lab now offers a broad range of pieces, from puffer jackets and trousers to prints and accessories.

Brand history and development

The brand was founded by Franziska (Franzi) and David Ebisch and Niklas Janik, who, after several years of experience in the fashion industry as service providers, decided to launch their own label. Tired of everyday routines and of constantly channeling their creativity into projects for others, they developed the first Another Cotton Lab collection in just seven days, stated by David Ebisch in conversation with FashionUnited.

The core team consists of the founders Franzi and David Ebisch, Niklas Janik (Creative/Art Director), and Felix Adams, who acts as Brand Manager. Together, these four minds form the creative core of Another Cotton Lab.

In today’s brand landscape, where increasingly more influencer labels are entering the market, Another Cotton Lab is proud to be an independent brand: “We are a real brand, with real employees and real infrastructure. Another Cotton Lab stands on its own and is not dependent on a single personality,” explains Felix Adams.

Since 2023, the brand has continuously evolved. The collections have grown, and internally, Another Cotton Lab has further developed and optimized its own processes. The brand produces in-house in Hilden, which, as David Ebisch explains in an interview with FashionUnited, is extremely important to them. It allows them to maintain full control over their collections and production. Niklas Janik also sees this in-house production as a major advantage: “We have an incredibly well-developed infrastructure, which allows us to react very quickly when it comes to new products, delivery times, or trends.”

Design aesthetic and brand identity

From the very beginning, Another Cotton Lab has stood out through a very deliberate design aesthetic and a strong brand identity. The label is known for its cool screen-printed graphics on oversized T-shirts and hoodies, but it has also continuously evolved and expanded its collections. Today, the range covers everything from head to toe, except for shoes.

The graphic designs clearly reflect the brand’s vision, such as the classic Sunday Running Club shirt or prints that pick up lifestyle themes like travel, coffee culture, or Pilates. The streetwear pieces are predominantly unisex and combine a sporty, casual look with urban coolness.

Oversized silhouettes, clean cuts, and harmonious color palettes, from soft pastels to classic neutrals, are typical. Even the logo reflects the brand’s philosophy: intentionally minimalist, it symbolizes a cool, sporty lifestyle and the fusion of fashion and sport.

Community-first: Sunday Running Club

One of Another Cotton Lab’s most distinctive features is its strong community focus, led by the Sunday Running Club. Initiated by Another Cotton Lab, this running event has taken place every Sunday morning since May 2024, starting in front of the brand’s own flagship store in Düsseldorf’s Carlstadt district (Bastionstraße 10). What began with just a few running enthusiasts developed into a mass movement within weeks.

After only a few runs, more than 300 people were participating, and during an evening Night Run, nearly 2,000 runners joined. The idea behind it: running as a lifestyle event. Unlike traditional running meetups, ACL celebrates the culture surrounding the sport, the sense of community takes center stage. “We have a picture hanging in our store with the quote, ‘To love running is to make it a space others can love too,’ and that describes our motivation for the Running Club very well,” Felix Adams emphasized.

This year, the Running Club also hosted a special run in New York City during marathon week, demonstrating how popular and well-known the brand is in the United States. Around 400 people joined the run and ran through the city and Central Park with the team. For the four founders, this was another clear sign of the impact Another Cotton Lab—and its vision of lifestyle and fashion—has beyond Germany.

Customer relations and social media

Through its community, Another Cotton Lab brings together a broad customer base: from younger to older participants, everyone runs together—and many are also customers. “In our store, you’re greeted with a warm, friendly hello. You don’t have to worry about not being cool or fashionable enough for the store or the pieces,” says Brand Manager Felix Adams.

Social media reflects this approach as well. It’s not just about collections and products, but about the community and the brand’s vision. Events are announced via Instagram, alongside insights into collections and activities such as warehouse sales or collaborations. The account feels personal, clearly run by the real people behind Another Cotton Lab, and regularly picks up on social media trends. This lively and authentic approach makes it feel almost like a brand diary.

Collections and pricing

Another Cotton Lab presents several collections per year, including both seasonal lines and thematic capsule collections. Traditionally, four main collections are released annually (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter), complemented by additional drops with their own concepts. ACL has launched capsule themes such as “Endless Summer,” “Athletic Department,” “United in Sports,” or “No Days Off” at short intervals.

By now, Another Cotton Lab offers not only unisex pieces and women’s and men’s collections, but also its own performance line, once again bringing sport and fashion together.

The collections say a lot about the brand itself. The four main collections reflect the brand’s long-term development, while the smaller capsule collections, according to David Ebisch, reveal much more about the current status quo of Another Cotton Lab: “We offer these in limited quantities because we want to preserve the magic.”

In terms of pricing, Another Cotton Lab positions itself in the mid-range of streetwear:

• T-shirts typically cost around €40–50 (for example, the Sunday Running Club T-shirt at €49.90),

• Sweatshirts range from approximately €60–80 and hoodies from €70–90,

• More elaborate items such as knitwear or special-edition hoodies can reach up to around €90,

• Caps and accessories start at approximately €20–30,

• At the top end of the range are high-quality outerwear pieces: winter jackets or puffer coats can cost up to around €350, such as the insulated Another Down Puffer Jacket priced at €349.99 in the online shop.

Despite this price range, ACL places strong emphasis on offering fair value for money, the motto being that premium quality should remain accessible.

Global presence

Although Another Cotton Lab is deeply rooted in Düsseldorf, the brand operates with an international mindset. The DACH region accounts for a large share of orders, but the brand is also very strong outside Germany, particularly in the United States and neighboring countries, according to David Ebisch. The website is available in multiple languages, and worldwide shipping through the online shop underlines the brand’s global orientation.

Another Cotton Lab now ships parcels from New York to Hong Kong, while runners in Düsseldorf pull on their shirts every Sunday. This balance between local roots and global reach clearly defines the brand. Despite international success, the founders maintain strong ties to Düsseldorf through local collaborations, while simultaneously connecting the global community via Strava and social media.

ACL is also thinking beyond Germany in terms of physical retail. The team is already working on expansion into new markets: “The next store is in planning and it won’t be in Germany,” Niklas Janik revealed in conversation.

In addition, Another Cotton Lab is already available across Germany via online platforms such as Zalando and About You, as well as in more than 200 selected stores, including P&C and Breuninger. However, strong attention is paid to careful selection and brand fit, as David Ebisch told FashionUnited.

Future outlook

The rapid growth of Another Cotton Lab and its steadily expanding international presence point to significant potential. The successful running event in New York City and strong sales figures outside Germany suggest that the brand will continue to grow in recognition and popularity worldwide.

With another store outside Germany, Another Cotton Lab could take a major step forward in strengthening its market position. The goal is to make the brand more tangible for even more people, especially beyond Germany, as Niklas Janik explains when speaking about their future plans.