Cornelius Robin, entrepreneur with Switcher
When he was a student, Robin Cornelius, the founder of the successful sportswear label Switcher drove a taxi to make ends meet. While his fellow students pursued “safe” jobs in various professions, Cornelius worried about being dependent on an employer. That was not his style. He had produced and sold a few cotton T-shirts while in school and he thought maybe he could develop this line of business. But he wanted to do things his way, which meant not focusing on turnover, volumes and cost-control but rather on fair production, transparency and sustainability. “We don’t want clients,” he said, “we want fans who are prepared to support fair production.” Over 30 years later, the market has proven him right. Switcher was ahead of the curve on ethical textile production and its success confirms that strong values matter in business.