brand story
Sekundär was founded by Chen, Wen-Ting in 2018 in Berlin. Chen, Wen-Ting is originally from Taipei, Taiwan.“Sekundär“ is a philosophy, a way of life that means ‘second place’ in German. The idea comes from the ancient philosophy of Daoism, against the Human-Centered Theory. Instead, we believe all things are closely linked and exist equally, however great or small; we stand behind all things on the earth and put the others in the ‘first’.
We stand apart from fashion’s modern value system. We do not view ourselves as number one; we do not chase standard beauty, we are different, we are ourselves.
In the era of mechanical mass production, Sekundär appreciates the spirit of artisans and their ability to awaken a material’s soul while inspiring our inner listener. Sekundär offers much more than fashion items, it offers a different lifestyle. The products bear our spiritual sustenance; full of hopes and imagination.
The founder of Sekundär, Chen Wen-Ting has devoted herself to fashion and sustainability. She has a bachelor’s degree in fashion design from Taiwan and a Master degree in sustainability in fashion from Germany. In addition to her professional knowledge and training, she worked as a design assistant and production manager in Taiwan. After she finished her master’s degree, she worked for several German fashion companies, such as Steinrohner and Micheal Michalsky. Chen Wen-Ting was awarded various international design awards and was invited to attend Berlin Ethical fashion week in 2017 and 2018. Her background and work experience in both Taiwan and Germany have helped to hone her fashion and sustainability knowledge.
Her previous work focused on paying respect to products, nature, and was inspired by cultural differences.“Sekundär” represents a spiritual world representing both Daoist philosophy and Asian aesthetic. Daoists believe in animism, that everything has a spirit. Spirits exist not only in humans, but also in animals, plants, mountains, and rivers. This concept is understood in the natural world, but it is also reflected in products. The Sekundär philosophy believes that if you treat an object with a respect, it will also react positively. This mindset translates to all of Chen, Wen-ting work and is reflected in the product’s quality and attention to detail.
