THE SUNDAY EFFECT
Some company stories begin with a business plan, some with a funding round and some with a perfectly orchestrated launch. And then there’s Another Cotton Lab. The success story of the Düsseldorf-based streetwear brand began with a simple T-shirt. And with a day when most things come to a standstill: Sunday. Today, it has become one of the most exciting German brand stories – and a masterclass in community building.
A slogan on a T-shirt became a movement: Another Cotton Lab’s Sunday Running Club brings thousands of people together every Sunday.
At first, there was just a back print. Large, eyecatching and hard to miss: “Sunday Running Club”. Art Director Niklas Janik had designed it three years ago for Another Cotton Lab. No such club existed back then. Nevertheless, the design struck a chord. The T-shirt became a bestseller and suddenly appeared on people who understood this new way of life – somewhere between running shoes and coffee culture, wine bars and weekend routines. As the shirt became increasingly visible, an idea suddenly struck: if the concept of a running club works so well, why not just set one up? No sooner said than done. During the first runs in Düsseldorf, the T-shirts were given away, and the design became visible everywhere: on the city’s streets, on social media and on the backs of a community that was just forming. The small running group quickly turned into a movement: first around a hundred runners turning up and later thousands for special runs. To this day, not a single Sunday has been missed.
Four minds, one vision: Niklas Janik, Felix Adams, David Ebisch and Franziska Ebisch (from left to right) have turned Another Cotton Lab into one of Germany’s most exciting lifestyle brands.
From Design to Movement
Another Cotton Lab is the brainchild of Yarn Studios GmbH founded in Hilden in 2016. For seven years, the team led by founders David and Franziska Ebisch built lifestyle brands for others and developed designs, textiles and campaigns. In 2023, they decided that they no longer wanted to invest their own experience solely in other people’s projects. Together with Creative & Art Director Niklas Janik and Brand Manager Felix Adams, they formed their own brand: Another Cotton Lab. ’We asked ourselves why we were always giving our resources away to others instead of creating our own brand that represents us and that we’re really passionate about,‘ recalls Niklas Janik. That was the starting point.
Since then, the young Düsseldorf-based brand has rapidly grown into a company with an international clientele, regularly sold-out collections and a turnover in the tens of millions. At the same time, the Sunday Running Club has also grown into Europe’s largest running club: expanding from Düsseldorf to Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Cologne. Every Sunday, there are five- and ten-kilometre runs, so that everyone can join in. ’It’s not about achieving the best running time, but about having the best time,‘ says brand manager Felix Adams. Anyone who joins becomes part of the community and takes home a special shirt from each city – a shirt you can only get by running there.
Livestyle as Sport
The reason community building works so well is that Another Cotton Lab sees sport as a culture – and clothing as its hallmark. Events have sprung up around the brand that make the Running Club more than just a running meet-up. For example, the evening run “7 after 7”, where participants ran seven kilometres through Düsseldorf, finishing at different bars and clubs followed by parties. It’s about exercise, but just as much about socialising. ‘We live by maximum inclusivity and democracy,‘ says Felix Adams. First-timers are just as valued as someone who’s been running with the group for a year or a long-standing customer: ’Community, running and sport belong to everyone. There’s no competition; there’s room for everyone.‘
Today, Another Cotton Lab stands for urban styles at the intersection of sport and fashion. The range includes T-shirts and hoodies, but also jackets, trousers, caps, accessories and dedicated lines for women and men. The brand also caters to athletes with its performance wear. The aesthetic: oversized, clean and urban. ’We manage to be sportier than lifestyle brands and more lifestyle-oriented than sports brands,‘says Felix Adams. ‘We sit right in between.‘ That is precisely where the brand’s credibility lies. ‘What we do always comes from within. It’s not a trend, but honestly what moves us. Our community notices that.‘ Pure growth was never the sole driving force behind Another Cotton Lab. ‘We’re driven by what we like and what inspires us. Whether it’s creative, sporty or from other areas of life,‘ emphasises Felix Adams. The key was to translate the expertise built up over the years into something of our own: a brand that doesn’t just sell products, but a whole life style.
A Clubhouse in Carlstadt
What began with the Sunday Running Club was developed step by step. Franziska Ebisch has since launched a counterpart for the Pilates community, thereby expanding the brand’s universe. In May 2025, Another Cotton Lab opened its first flagship store in Düsseldorf’s Carlstadt district, alongside its online presence. The shop is far more than just a retail space: it is a community clubhouse, a meeting place for the Sunday Running Clubs and a physical stage for a brand that grew through social media but brings people together in the real world. The collections are also available via platforms such as Zalando, Breuninger and P&C. Added to this are sold-out collaborations, including those with Motel a Miio and Fortuna Düsseldorf. The collections sold out within three minutes. A joint run with Fortuna took participants from the city centre to the Merkur Spiel-Arena with more than 1,000 people signed up, and afterwards everyone watched thehome match together. It shows just how much Another Cotton Lab is helping to shape local culture: new running clubs are constantly popping up in Düsseldorf, and platforms like Strava reveal just how much the running culture in the city has grown.
Going International
The next stage has long since begun. Another Cotton Lab is present at the major German marathons in Cologne, Munich, Hamburg and Berlin; the Berlin Marathon in particular is set to be a major brand moment. Orders are being sent to Europe, the USA and beyond. In New York, the community meets every three months for the Sunday Running Club. A collaboration is also in the pipeline for the end of the year, which, according to Felix Adams, is set to shake things up in the fashion and running worlds and take Another Cotton Lab a big step forward globally. Plans are also underway for the next store which will be outside Germany.
The team is setting its sights high for the coming years. Another Cotton Lab aims to become a major player in the sports and lifestyle market, a serious alternative to existing global sports brands. ’We want everyone in Europe who enjoys sport to have at least one of our lifestyle pieces in their wardrobe,‘ says Felix Adams. The figures and pace of growth show that this ambition is not just wishful thinking: In its founding year, 2023, turnover stood at around one million euros; a year later, it had already exceeded ten million euros. What began as a back print has grown into a brand with a huge community, its own store and international presence. Perhaps that is precisely the crux of this story. Another Cotton Lab sells more than fashion, it sells a feeling that many are currently seeking – a sense of belonging. •
Text: Karolina Landowski
Pictures: Another Cotton Lab
