From H&M game changer to Elho ‘re-founder’: Donald Schneider's creative masterplan

Even a brief glance at the vita of Donald Schneider, founder and creative director of Donald Schneider Studio, reads like a chapter out of fashion history. The Swiss-born creative, who doesn’t quite identify with the title of an art director – a term that doesn’t come close to describing the breadth of his work – made his mark in New York in the 1980s.

After various roles, including as art director for American magazines East Village Eye and Fame, as well as Germany’s cultural and fashion magazine Tempo, it was a call from Angelica Blechschmidt, then editor-in-chief of German Vogue, that led Schneider to Munich and later to Paris. It was in the French capital that he founded his own creative agency, Donald Schneider Studios, in 2002, which is now based in Berlin.

However, the list of his achievements doesn’t end there. Missing are stints as art director at Stern Magazine and global creative director for H&M. With such an extensive career, the inevitable question arises: What could possibly come next for a man who has seen and experienced almost everything, and who has collaborated with most, if not all, of the industry’s key figures?

The answer is Elho. A brand that, like Schneider, first made its mark in the 1980s. Originally founded in 1948 by master tailor Ludwig Hohenester, Elho pioneered ski and outerwear, creating milestones such as the first jet pants and the first down collection in the German market. But unlike its new "re-founder", as Schneider calls himself, the brand faded into obscurity over the years. After a failed attempt to revive it in 2019, Schneider has now taken the helm, bringing the brand back not only to the slopes but also into the fashion world.

You’ve been running your creative agency for over 20 years. Why have you now decided to start your own project with Elho?

For over 20 years, I’ve worked with clients through my creative agency, which means constantly having to compromise. With my own project, Elho, the decision-making power is now entirely in the hands of my team and me. We don’t need to convince clients, only ourselves. That’s what makes this project so exciting, though it also comes with new challenges. All of my past experience and networks have been incredibly helpful – and it’s honestly great fun.

I also come from a family of inventors; not in the creative field, but technical inventors. So maybe there’s a bit of that in my DNA. I’ve always been interested in new ideas, especially looking where others aren’t. I don’t need to focus on Demna and Balenciaga because everyone’s already looking there. They certainly don’t need me. But there are so many aspects of the fashion world that no one’s paying attention to.

And one of those aspects is outdoor?

Yes, in a way. About six or seven years ago, I curated a bi-annual fashion supplement for Handelsblatt and would choose a different theme for each issue. That’s when outdoor caught my eye, and I decided to do an issue where outdoor meets fashion. What I didn’t expect at the time was that my partner, Claudia Hofmann, who handled the styling, would get a "no" from both sides.

The outdoor brands wanted nothing to do with a fashion spread, and the fashion houses didn’t want to be associated with the outdoor world. That’s exactly what intrigued me though—if everyone says something isn’t possible, that’s when I become interested.

Quite some time has passed since then...

Indeed, and I initially tried to collaborate with outdoor brands. I approached them with proposals for partnerships with major fashion brands. I even made two trips, on my own initiative, to a well-known outdoor brand, only for them to shake their heads both times, saying I was out of my mind. Then two years later, Gucci teamed up with North Face and suddenly my phone started ringing.

You just mentioned how difficult it was to win over outdoor brands for collaborations, yet in 2004, you laid the foundation—if not the blueprint—for all future designer collaborations with Karl Lagerfeld for H&M...

It does remind me of the early days of that idea for the first designer collaboration: Karl Lagerfeld with H&M. There was just something in the air, it was simply the right moment and the right place. H&M approached me, and of course, it was huge, because at that time, high fashion had a relatively small reach—online didn’t exist yet—while H&M was massive.

One day, I was in Stockholm for meetings and heard that a consulting firm had advised H&M to come up with something new to maintain the brand’s appeal. Although it wasn’t technically my job to come up with an idea, I told them I was keen to take a different approach to their campaigns. I was bored of creating campaigns with a top model against a white background. I wanted to do something where the product itself became the talking point, not just the model. My spontaneous idea: why don’t we use the money we’d normally spend on a top model to work with a high-fashion designer to create a special collection?

Was H&M immediately open to such a new concept at the time?

Two or three days later, the brand manager called me, saying he couldn’t stop thinking about my idea and asked how we could make it happen. I knew right away that to truly create a game-changer, we needed to go straight to number one, and that was Karl Lagerfeld. The response was, "But surely he wouldn’t want to do something for us?"

I imagine convincing Lagerfeld was even more difficult than persuading the outdoor brands you mentioned earlier?

Well, I knew him well and had worked with him several times during my time as 'directeur artistique' at French Vogue. So, I suggested that I ask him myself. And I did. Lagerfeld responded in a second: "Wow, this is the future."

Interestingly, at the time, many people thought that these two worlds—luxury and mainstream—should not and could not be brought together. But Karl saw the future in it. That’s why bringing outdoor and fashion together interests me so much—because it’s still largely taboo.

Speaking of taboos—collaborations have become somewhat criticised lately, in part due to oversaturation...

The criticism of collaborations, in my view, stems mainly from the fact that there are many poorly executed, poorly activated collaborations that don’t add any value. Sometimes clients ask us for a list of five potential partners, but that’s not how we work. We always start with an idea, and from that idea, we find the right partners and adjust the plan accordingly. Well-executed collaborations have tremendous potential and generate a lot of attention and new customers.

So you don’t see an end to collaborations or their effectiveness any time soon?

No, collaborations are my favourite topic. Occasionally, brands approach us that have never done a collaboration before, and we start initial conversations about how it might work. The first question they often ask is whether the time for collaborations is coming to an end.

I always respond by pointing out that, especially in fashion and lifestyle, we used to have two seasonal campaigns, with expensive productions and around six to eight photos. These would be everywhere, in every magazine and on every billboard, for months until the next campaign came out. Did anyone ever ask whether the time for campaigns was over?

But even seasonal campaigns have evolved...

The relationship with large seasonal campaigns has changed in the era of social media because to remain relevant today, you need far more content than in the past. And that’s where collaborations come in, as they’ve replaced the large statement campaigns and now generate the same attention that those campaigns used to.

Moncler is a prime example. They’ve launched up to eight collaborations per year in recent times, but does anyone question the brand’s DNA? Absolutely not. The only brands that should worry about collaborations are those with weak DNA.

Returning to outdoor and, more specifically, Elho. When and how did you become aware of the brand?

I’d been on the lookout for my own project for a few years. I knew of a team in Cologne that was trying to revive Elho years ago, as I was well acquainted with one of the investors. Even back then, I told him I thought Elho was a cool brand with a lot of potential. When they decided to pull the plug, he contacted me to let me know the brand name would soon become available.

My partner and I took two or three days to think about it. Then I decided to take the opportunity. I absolutely love the brand’s heritage, especially the logo. On top of that, the brand name is protected worldwide, including the added name "Freestyle," which I find particularly exciting. There are also no Elho licences out there – no Elho socks or dog clothes with the logo, for example. It’s rare to come across such a well-protected heritage brand.

How did you approach rebuilding Elho?

Elho has always been visionary and innovative, which provides a fantastic foundation to become a brand for the younger generation. Our goal is to look ahead with Elho, not to replicate vintage styles. We want to reinterpret the spirit of Elho from back then, in a completely new way.

I’ve now met the previous managing director of Elho and learnt a lot from him. He told me about the brand's peak, when they were the first to introduce down jackets in Central Europe, used neon colours, and invented the jet trousers. I was curious to know why the brand was so special and functioned so well at the time. One particular thing he said stuck with me, and we’ve taken it to heart as a team: "Elho was always one step ahead."

How do you plan to stay ‘one step ahead’ in the future?

We aim to lead with design, materials, and communication. Otherwise, there’s no point in us being here. If we enter the market and look like everyone else, there’s no need for us. But if we succeed in looking different and deliberately bridging the gap between performance and a street, urban, fashion aesthetic, then we’ll have a place in the market.

The idea of "freestyle" plays a key role here, because it’s about sport, but more importantly, it’s about a mindset that encompasses music, hip-hop, and art. For now, however, we are consciously focusing on sport to establish a clear position.

Even though Elho has only just launched this week, there are already two collaborations – a capsule featuring the artwork of Jean-Michel Basquiat and a partnership with freestyle skier Andri Ragettli.

Exactly. Our focus on sport and performance is reflected in our collaboration with Andri Ragettli. He’s not just the "King of Freestyle Skiing," but also a master of social media. He represents a new type of athlete, and I find this combination incredibly interesting. Plus, freestyle skiing is one of the few sports where you can wear exactly what the athletes are wearing in competition, and later buy and wear the same gear yourself, even in the city. For example, if you look at downhill skiers, they wear skin tight suits with logos – no one’s going to wear that in everyday life.

We’ve also recently brought on a young female freestyler, Zoe van Essen. She joined us after seeing Elho on Andri when he was competing at the X Games in Aspen this February [Editor’s note: an extreme sports event]. That was when we first showcased a Basquiat look from the capsule.

You’ve been working with Ragettli for Elho for a while now. How has his perspective influenced the brand’s development?

When I first met Andri about a year ago, he was always skiing in these super baggy trousers. So, I asked him what brand they were. He said they weren’t from any specific brand—he bought two pairs of ski trousers, took them to a tailor, and asked them to combine them into something new, because he couldn’t find any he liked. That’s when I offered to make him ski trousers exactly how he wanted.

As we talked, it became clear that there’s no brand out there right now that meets his or the community’s expectations. I asked different people in the community which brands they liked. The response? None! Peak Performance? "No, my parents wear that, it’s so boring." Bogner? "That’s for old people." Patagonia? "No way, that’s what teachers wear." North Face? "Everyone’s got that; it’s not special enough." Burton? "That used to be cool years ago, but not anymore." So, what’s out there? Nothing.

So what do young people want then?

At the end of the day, freestylers don’t just want functional clothing, they want to look cool as well. Our big challenge was to create a key piece that combines both, so we invented a brand-new type of jacket—a performance bomber jacket. It has everything you need for the mountains, like ventilation, a removable hood, and a snow gaiter, but the design is such that you can also wear it casually in the city.

The technical development was done by our team in Switzerland, which consists largely of young ski and snowboard enthusiasts. Even they were sceptical at first when I said we were going to invent a new type of jacket. But once the first prototype was finished, they were all standing in front of the mirror, excited. Ultimately, the bomber jacket changes the usual proportions for ski gear, as you look completely different in a bomber compared to a traditional shell jacket.

And who is Elho’s target audience, off the slopes?

We want to appeal to young people from the age of 25, with an "urban background," who also like to get out into nature. It’s not about the classic "Berlin urban" vibe, which is also why we established the company in Zurich. Zurich, especially with brands like On Running, has developed a great reputation and interesting associations in the sports space.

You’re launching Elho with a focus on Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Where will the brand be available in the future?

E-commerce is our main focus because that’s where the future lies, especially as we’re targeting a young audience. Wholesale is also important for strategic reasons—people need to be able to experience the brand physically, as we’re also concerned about the quality of the product.

Additionally, we’re aware that very few people know the brand right now, so being present with key retail partners is crucial. At launch, the main goal is to captivate the end consumer.

You’re well-established in the creative industry, but building an entire brand – including distribution and all the business hurdles – is something new for you as well. Is there anything you underestimated at the start?

I definitely underestimated the whole project to some extent. I know a lot about communication, and over the years I’ve picked up a lot from other areas, but many of the processes were only surface-level knowledge for me.

But that’s also where the fun lies – the best days are the ones when you learn a lot, and we’re having plenty of those at the moment. We’re working with top specialists, and it’s important to admit when you can’t make a decision yourself and to listen to the experts. We also have a good checks-and-balances system. Of course, there needs to be a hierarchy, but we brainstorm a lot, and when necessary, we hand decisions over to those who are knowledgeable in the area.

What has been your biggest lesson, not just with Elho but throughout your career?

It’s essential that as a creative, you never become bitter or too frustrated. You always need a certain freedom of mind. The only time I get really nervous is when everything seems to be going smoothly and everyone relaxes. At a photoshoot, for example, I always feel that the end results on relaxed days, when you look at the photos two weeks later, aren’t as good as you thought at the time. There’s often a lack of tension.

To be creative, you always need to be a little bit "on edge."

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.DE.