94 PORTRAIT PSI Journal 6/2012 www.psi-network.de enough, as in the meantime the economic framework conditions had completely changed. CORPORATE CONCEPT FOR THE FUTURE During this time Thomas Karlowsky created the basis for today’s company. He got creative and nothing was too much effort for him. He had experience in conceptualising and he approached his corporate concept exactly as systematically and strategically cleverly as he had approached his coaching concepts before. He did research, observed the competition, looked for its weaknesses and found niches for his products. So, the range of disposable rubber aprons was expanded by cotton aprons that were also available in several sizes and colours. It was possible to realise this effortlessly with the existing machines. Meanwhile he had managed to get hold of a Wartburg car after all and traversed the west of Germany looking for customers. In the process he familiarised himself with the market and came upon new product and marketing ideas with the following question in mind: “What does a catering professional have to buy, what does he need?” For example, he was already offering crumb brushes in 1989, as they were part of the basic equipment that every wait- er needed to be on hand with. The notion of one day becoming a full-range trader was therefore conceived at an early stage, even if it would have to wait a while to become reality. CREATIVELY AND COURAGEOUSLY FORWARD “Yes, I was a bit crazy,” Karlowsky comments today on his first trade show participation in 1992, when he presented his aprons at a two-square-metre booth at the butcher’s trade show. However, it worked out and he gained new customers. He also increasingly invested in advertising and with the witty slogan, “Germany’s Number One Skirt Chaser” the company promptly became more well-known. In everything he did, he always had the aim in the back of his mind of building up a brand that would also be recognised by the end consumer. Not uncommonly sport was a dooropener for interviews or led to loyal customers. In the meantime he had further expanded his collections and the catalogues would get thicker from year to year. The company had clearly positioned itself as a manufacturer of high-quality professional clothing with a focus on catering and hotelry and from hereon in there was not far to go to becoming a full-range trader. If you take a look through the current cata- logue you will find a cleverly devised range in which every little accessory is represented in many forms: Waiters’ pouches, caps, cloths, belts, binders, waiters’ cutlery, kitchen cloths, even the buttons on chefs’ jackets, for example, can be selected. And naturally the crumb brush is still part of the range. FULL-RANGE PROVIDER IN CORPORATE WEAR Today Karlowsky Fashion is a full-range trader to distributors, key account markets of trading chains, specialist mail order companies, and the promotional products industry with professional-quality work wear, including Europe-wide. The product lines Basic, Classic, Premium and Rock Chef each appeal to different target groups – from the career starter through chefs to trend-conscious high-fliers who like to get seen. Production is done in Eastern Europe and China, product development is based in Magdeburg, where highly professional textile know-how is at home. There, highly qualified employees such as designers and textile engineers design cuts and fits, choose fabrics, make specifications for production and inspect quality. Although promotional products customers for the most part order the basic segment, which offers functional clothing that lives up to

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