Dr Monika Hauck: making repairs easy & fashionable

Entrepreneur Dr. Monika Hauck is tapping into the emotional charge we feel after getting something repaired, and using that to revolutionize how we choose and care for our clothing and accessories.

Dr. Monika Hauck is the founder of Repair Rebels, a digital B2C & B2B fashion repair platform that’s a pioneer solution in the German market, with a goal is to make textile and shoe repairs digital, convenient and fashionable! Repair Rebels started in 2021, and has already won numerous prestigious awards, including the German Ecodesign Award.

Dr. Monika Hauck is a creative economist, entrepreneur, social activist, and researcher specializing in Open and Collaborative Innovation. Her Ph.D. focused on Corporate Venturing and Open Innovation in the fashion industry. Monika has also founded the WHU Entrepreneurship Center to support startups and corporate innovation initiatives in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) region.

Monika was passionate about fashion from a young age, and later worked as a model for renowned international agencies and brands. You may have heard of “Fashion Revolution,” a British social enterprise – in 2018, Monika became the Fashion Revolution City Ambassador in Düsseldorf. Then, in 2019, she launched change-room.org, a think tank dedicated to sustainable and inclusive innovation in fashion.

Now, Monika combines her expertise in fashion, innovation management and sustainable development with her commitment to revitalising local craftsmanship. Monika explains how Repair Rebels works for customers and repairers, and how Repair Rebels is meeting the needs of different groups of customers.

We hear how Repair Rebels was inspired by Monika’s childhood in Lithuania, where she learned to sew and repair clothing while still at school. Monika outlines some of the trends she is seeing around fashion consumption and the circular economy, and we discuss the reasons that big businesses are finding it so hard to change course. We also talked about the Lean StartUp concept, and how that can be helpful to circular entrepreneurs.

International speaker, author and strategic advisor, Catherine Weetman helps people discover why circular, regenerative and fair solutions are better for people, planet – and prosperity.

Catherine’s award-winning book: A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started.

Stay in touch for free insights and updates…

Read on for more on our guest and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention.

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Links we mention in the episode:

Links for our guest:

Links for Repair Rebels:

Links for Monika Hauck:

Books, people and organisations we mentioned

The concept of buyer awareness stages is from Eugene Schwartz, a famous copywriter, and described in his 1966 book, Breakthrough Advertising. Here’s a blog, explaining the stages and the psychology behind them: https://www.melissabolton.com/stages-of-awareness/
Circular Economy Podcast episode 132 – Re-Action – repairing: from radical to renaissance. Three businesses helping people discover that repairing means caring – Sheffield Clothing Repair, Snowdonia Gear Repair, Vicky Bikes https://www.rethinkglobal.info/132-re-action-repairing-from-radical-to-renaissance/
The Innovators Solution, by Clayton M. Christensen, Michael E. Raynor https://www.christenseninstitute.org/book/the-innovators-solution/

Catherine’s work:

Circular Economy Podcast on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/showcase/circular-economy-podcast/
Circular Economy Podcast website: circulareconomypodcast.com
Catherine Weetman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-weetman-9419107/
A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business – buy from any good bookseller, or direct from the publisher Kogan Page, which ships worldwide (free shipping to UK and US) https://www.koganpage.com/CircEcon2
Interactive podcast index https://www.rethinkglobal.info/circular-economy-podcast-index/
Rethink Global www.rethinkglobal.info
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Guest bio

Dr. Monika Hauck is a creative economist, entrepreneur, social activist, and researcher specializing in Open and Collaborative Innovation. In September 2019, she earned her Ph.D. (summa cum laude) from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, focusing on Corporate Venturing and Open Innovation in the fashion industry.

In April 2018, Monika founded the WHU Entrepreneurship Center, where she served as Managing Director. Her work centered on supporting startups and corporate innovation initiatives, contributing actively to building a robust startup ecosystem in the North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) region. In 2018, Monika became the City Ambassador in Düsseldorf for “Fashion Revolution,” a British social enterprise. Then, in October 2019, she launched change-room.org, a think tank dedicated to sustainable and inclusive innovation in fashion.

In 2021, Monika founded Repair Rebels, a digital B2C & B2B fashion repair platform – a pioneer solutions in the German market. By digitalizing the local craftsmanship, the goals of the startup is to make textile and shoe repairs digital, convenient and fashionable! Repair Rebels has since won numerous prestigious awards, including the German Ecodesign Award presented by Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment and Consumer Protection.

Repair Rebels was inspired by Monika’s childhood in Lithuania, where she learned to sew and repair clothing while still at school. Early on, she developed a passion for fashion, working as a model for renowned international agencies and brands. Today, Monika’s unique expertise in fashion, innovation management and sustainable development, paired with her commitment to revitalising local craftsmanship, positions her as a sought-after advisor, lecturer, and speaker.

Playlist: getting started with the circular economy…

Want to know more about the what the circular economy really is, and how it can help your business? Here’s a playlist to help you get to grips with the concept, how it creates value, and the common myths (spoiler alert – it’s much more than recycling!)

#1 What is the circular economy: A quick intro to explain what the circular economy is and why it’s important. We explore how it helps create better products and services, and at the same time helps to make a better world. I break it down into my 5 circular economy components, helping you think about each part of your business.
#2 The linear economy and your risk checklist: We dig a bit deeper into the way we do business now, the linear economy, and why that’s creating problems for business, society and our living planet. Also, we’ll look at the risks that emerge from those big-picture issues, and how they might affect your organisation.
#90 Does circular mean it’s sustainable? Catherine Weetman is worried that companies are using circular economy solutions to grow their business (and their footprints).
#101 Circular is better for people, planet and profit! How three simple strategies can help you get started with circular and regenerative solutions that are better for people, planet and profit.
#120 Priorities are changing: people find life is better when we care for and share things – circular economy strategies make that better for business, too.

And here’s Catherine’s guide: What is the circular economy?

Want to dig deeper?

Why not buy Catherine’s award-winning book, A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business. This comprehensive guide uses a bottom-up, practical approach, and includes hundreds of real examples from around the world, to help you really ‘get’ the circular economy. Even better, you’ll be inspired with ideas to make your own business more competitive, resilient and sustainable.

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Podcast music

Thanks to Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow, otherwise known as the brilliant, inventive and generous folk duo, O’Hooley & Tidow for allowing me to use the instrumentals from the live version of Summat’s Brewin’ as music for the podcast. You can find the whole track (inspired by the Copper Family song “Oh Good Ale”) on their album, also called Summat’s Brewin’. Or, follow them on Twitter.