INGO BRINKMEIER
Strategic Advisory for Fashion, Product Development, Sourcing and Production.
More than three decades of experience in the fashion industry — from craftsmanship and international leadership responsibility to entrepreneurial advisory.
I support fashion companies, brands, manufacturers and entrepreneurs in developing products, collections, sourcing and production structures, as well as in building new business relationships.
Product · Customer · Market · Organisation · Commercial Viability · Future
PROFILE
Experience across craftsmanship, management and entrepreneurship.
My professional journey began where a good product is created: in craftsmanship.
As a trained bespoke tailor, I learned construction, fit, workmanship, materials and quality from the ground up.
This was followed by more than three decades in different areas of the fashion industry — product development, buying, sourcing, production, company management, restructuring and brand development.
I have led companies and teams, built international production and supplier structures, developed collections and carried entrepreneurial responsibility.
These different perspectives shape my advisory work today. I do not look at an individual product or purchase price in isolation, but at the full interaction between product, customer, market, organisation, commercial viability and future.
SELECTED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Experience from different perspectives across the fashion industry.
My foundation. Training as a bespoke tailor shaped my understanding of product, materials, construction, fit and quality.
Leadership and management responsibility within an internationally positioned luxury fashion company. The combination of sophisticated product, quality, organisation and commercial requirements significantly shaped my further career.
Experience in a brand- and product-driven environment with high expectations regarding collection, quality and international execution.
Work within a demanding business situation with a particular focus on organisation, product, commercial viability and restructuring.
Supporting a heritage company through a new beginning and the further development of product and business structures.
As co-founder, joint responsibility for brand development, collections, product development, sourcing and production.
Independent, project-based support for German and international companies — as a strategic sparring partner and a hands-on advisor for product, sourcing and production matters.
WHAT DISTINGUISHES MY WORK
Experience from real responsibility.
I do not come from a traditional management consultancy background. My experience comes from direct responsibility within companies and from daily work with products.
Craftsmanship
I understand how a product is constructed and made.
Product
I understand materials, workmanship, fit, quality and collection development.
Management
I know decision-making from a management perspective.
Entrepreneurship
I know opportunities, risks and consequences from my own responsibility.
International sourcing
Many years of working with manufacturers, suppliers and production partners in different countries.
Crisis & Change
Experience with growth, reorganisation, restructuring and challenging business situations.
AREAS OF ADVISORY
From the first product idea to commercially viable execution.
Product & Collection Development
Collection and assortment structure, product development, materials, fit, quality, price architecture and positioning.
Is the product right for the customer — and does it make commercial sense?Sourcing & Production
Supplier selection, international production partners, production development, costs, negotiations, quality and delivery performance.
Reliable, commercially sound and appropriate for the product.Costs & Commercial Viability
Costing, purchase prices, margins, price architecture, cost structures and the commercial assessment of products and collections.
Supply Chain & Organisation
Analysis and improvement of processes between development, buying, suppliers, production, quality and delivery.
Business Development
Building new business opportunities, production partnerships and customer relationships — with a focus on the right partners for sustainable long-term business.
ADVISORY ACCORDING TO NEED
Experience exactly when it is needed.
Not every company needs an additional permanent executive. Often, experience is required exactly when an important decision must be made, a project has stalled or a new structure needs to be developed.
ADVISORY
€750 / month Up to 5 hours of personal advisory. For individual questions, second opinions and decision-making.BUSINESS SUPPORT
€1,500 / month Up to 10 hours of advisory and active support for ongoing topics.INTENSIVE BUSINESS SUPPORT
€2,500 / month Up to 20 hours of personal support for operational and strategic matters.INTERIM MANAGEMENT
Temporary operational leadership responsibility.
In addition to advisory work, I can also take on a temporary operational leadership or management role.
Scope, responsibilities, duration and remuneration are agreed individually.
MARKET ENTRY IN GERMANY
German customers for international manufacturers.
Another focus of my work is supporting international manufacturers, producers and suppliers that want to win German fashion companies as customers.
I assist with identification of suitable German brands and companies, positioning of the offer, preparation of company presentations, customer outreach, introductions to relevant decision-makers, preparation and support of meetings, sample development, assessment of price and quality, and ongoing development of new business relationships.
“Not just making introductions. Building business relationships that create sustainable commercial value.”
MY BOOK
Experience from craftsmanship, management, crisis and entrepreneurship.
Over many years, I have observed that business problems repeat themselves surprisingly often. Companies change. Markets change. People and products change. But the fundamental questions often remain the same.
My book project brings together personal experience from craftsmanship, company leadership, growth, crisis, restructuring and advisory work.
These experiences also form the foundation of my work today. Because very often, the solution to a problem is not located where the problem first becomes visible.
The key is to understand the connections.
HOW I WORK
Personal
You work directly with me.
Clear
Problems need to be named clearly before they can be solved.
Practical
I do not create concepts that end up sitting in a drawer.
Commercial
A good product and a good idea must ultimately make financial sense.
Independent
I can assess situations without internal interests or company politics.
Implementation-driven
My goal is not only to make a recommendation, but to develop a solution that can actually be implemented.
CONTACT
Let’s talk about your company.
Perhaps it is about a collection, a manufacturer, costs, quality or sourcing. Perhaps you need temporary management support. Or perhaps you are an international manufacturer looking to win new customers in Germany.
Often, an initial conversation is enough to identify where the real opportunities for improvement are.
Ingo Brinkmeier
Strategic Advisory for Fashion, Product Development, Sourcing and Production
Menswear & Womenswear
Product Development · Sourcing · Production · Supply Chain · Business Development · Interim Management
Produkt verstehen. Strukturen verbessern. Geschäft entwickeln.
Von der ersten Idee bis zur marktfähigen Umsetzung.
Product & Collection
Kollektion, Produktentwicklung, Material, Passform, Preisarchitektur und Markenpositionierung.
Sourcing & Production
Lieferantenstrategie, Produktionsaufbau, Verhandlung, Qualität und internationale Beschaffung.
Change-Management Coaching
Kostenstruktur, Marge, Lieferfähigkeit und Business Development – entlang der gesamten Wertschöpfungskette.
Beratungstermin buchen
Sichere dir ein unverbindliches Erstgespräch, um deine Ziele zu besprechen und den optimalen Projektumfang zu definieren.
Erfahrung aus Produkt, Management und Unternehmertum.
Ich komme aus dem Maßschneiderhandwerk, habe Unternehmen geführt, Restrukturierungen begleitet und internationale Lieferketten aufgebaut. Meine Stationen: Jil Sander, Dorothee Schumacher, Strenesse, Hiltl und Manheimer Berlin. Heute begleite ich deutsche und internationale Fashion-Unternehmen als Berater und operativer Sparringspartner.
Folge uns auf LinkedIn für aktuelle Insights
Lassen Sie uns über Ihr Unternehmen, Ihr Produkt oder Ihren Markteintritt sprechen.
Ingo Brinkmeier · Executive Fashion Advisor
ib@vl-hh.de · +49 173 4298036