A German designer who created a fashion company with a feminine soul. Her brand is devoted to all great women, combining elegance, sensuality, and confidence.
Walking through the shopping mall, I thought that there was a designer behind every clothing item. Perhaps famous personalities in the fashion world began their creative career just here. The young consultant who helps me choose a dress may become the new Ralph Lauren in a year or two, and the smiling girl at the checkout may become the next Donna Karan. After all, this is how many famous fashion designers began their creative careers.
A striking example is the life story of the German designer Dorothee Schumacher. She got her first stylish practice in the eighties in the Düsseldorf clothing store Peek & Cloppenburg. Perhaps Dorothea was destined to become a fashion designer since she was born in 1966 in Düsseldorf, the very capital of the German fashion industry. Dorothee Schumacher has demonstrated her skills as a fashion stylist since childhood. Her first clients were her older sisters. Like a real expert, she advised them on what to wear and how to combine things. Relatives even paid her money for recommendations.
To become a true fashion professional, Dorothea Schumacher went to Italy and later to France. Strong and passionate Italian women clearly showed her that managers of small knitting companies can look stylish and elegant. She admired the French women for their attitude to luxury: this is a reason for happiness and joy and not a matter of financial well-being.
Returning to Germany, she noticed that most German ladies were consumed by a strict wave of business style. Dorothee Schumacher did not like such a muscular look of German women. In 1989, the Berlin Wall disappeared, and at that time, Dorothea Schumacher created her first small collection of knitted T-shirts with satin ribbons around the neck and jagged edges. Delicate images became a fresh air of freedom among the dull business style that reigned in the 80s. The debut show of these feminine items took place at the fashion fair in Düsseldorf. T-shirts with girlish, delicate elements captured the hearts of foreign buyers so much that just four weeks later, they were shown at a similar event in Milan. In 1998, she introduced her personal brand, SCHUMACHER, to the world and changed it to DOROTHEE SCHUMACHER in 2014. She chose industrial Manheim as the location of her company headquarters, not fashionable Düsseldorf or the capital, Berlin. Since its foundation, the company has been located in the building of a former cardboard box factory. French architect Yves(-Henri) Bayard transformed this unsightly place into a modern industrial loft.
Today, DOROTHEE SCHUMACHER cannot be called a purely German brand since it has long had an international status. Designer stores can be found on the world map in more than 45 countries. Ladies from Tokyo, Warsaw, New York, Toronto, and other cities have an excellent opportunity to try on feminine collections in the local department stores or buy a beautiful outfit in the online store, which appeared in 2010. The collection of the DOROTHEE SCHUMACHER brand also includes shoes and accessories such as jewelry, umbrellas, and bags.
What is so unusual about the DOROTHEE SCHUMACHER brand, which at first sight makes ladies fall in love with it worldwide? The whole secret of success is that the brand has a feminine soul. In this company, where out of 140 employees, 120 of them are ladies, outfits are created exclusively for the fair sex. Dorothea Schumacher likes to repeat that she works with women for women. After all, only they know how to make women happy. Perhaps the fact is that for the German designer, her work is not a continuous routine but a constant pleasure and joy. She tries not just to develop each new collection but to study and experience it herself. Dorothea Schumacher still personally tries on each product from her collections and always thinks about the people surrounding her when creating.
She draws creative inspiration from her numerous travels. At the same time, special attention is paid to details that are often mixed from different cultures. Argentine ethnic patterns, warm tones, and rough leather are artfully combined with European details. Each new collection is unique and inimitable. The DOROTHEE SCHUMACHER is not just a fashion company but a friendly family where problems are solved together. The company’s priorities are always quality and punctuality. However, the main component of a successful creative puzzle is Dorothee Schumacher herself, who seems so dear and open to people in any country.
What kind of lady prefers to choose the style of DOROTHEE SCHUMACHER? This girl has an excellent education, a successful career, and a happy personal life. She is multifaceted, brave, and self-confident, but at the same time, she remains a feminine, sensual person. In her closet, she has clothes for all occasions, romantic and evening dresses, along with trouser suits, cashmere cardigans, and casual sweaters. And most importantly, she wears things only from high-quality natural materials such as silk, fine leather, lace, cotton, cashmere, or wool. Of course, such luxurious outfits are not cheap, but the first-class fabrics and exclusive models are worth it. Lady in the style of the DOROTHEE SCHUMACHER brand explores the world through travel and pays great attention to the details. She emphasizes her individuality with embroidery from Latin America and elegance, femininity, and confidence with a silk top with contrast straps and a lace insert.
The DOROTHEE SCHUMACHER also shone in Hollywood. In the American comedy-drama « The Devil Wears Prada,» the main characters Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) and Andrea Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) shone in Dorothee Schumacher outfits. The brand also made an enchanting parade on the theater stage. Dorothee Schumacher created the costumes for the play «Peer Gynt» by Henrik Ibsen, which took place in the Austrian city of Innsbruck. Among the famous admirers of the DOROTHEE SHUMACHER brand are the Austrian actress Norra von Waldstatten, the German actress Sophie von Kessel, the American actress Jessica Alba, Mila Jovovich, Sarah Jessica Parker, and many other famous personalities. Like any designer, she is pleased that her creations are worn by stars. Still, Dorothea Schumacher emphasizes that her brand is created for all great women who harmoniously combine elegance, sensuality, intelligence, and confidence.
Dorothee Schumacher successfully combines work and personal life. In her opinion, these areas of life are interconnected and organically complement each other. She is simultaneously a talented designer, a successful businesswoman, and a loving mother. She has four adult children, three boys and one girl. The eldest son is already happy to continue working in the family company.
And there is a beautiful hobby that seems so natural for Dorothee Shumacher’s personality. Since childhood, she has been collecting items related to the four-leaf clover. It is no coincidence that her first jewelry collection was dedicated to this charming symbol of happiness, hope, and good luck.
Apparently, today, you can only sometimes meet Dorothee Schumacher herself in Düsseldorf, but you should surely visit her fashionable store in this stylish city.
