Wald: Hamburg upcycling, built from what already exists
Most labels start with a sketch and a roll of new fabric. Wald starts with something that already exists. The Hamburg-based label takes outdoor gear and technical materials that have had a first life, and reworks them into entirely new garments. It is a young brand, founded in 2024, and it arrives at ANSH46 this autumn with its first delivery in our Rotterdam store and online.
A name that means forest
Wald is the German word for forest, and the name sets the tone. Founder Ludwig Brandt built the label around a reconnection with the natural world, but not in a nostalgic, back-to-the-land way. The point is practical: there is already enough material in circulation, so the more interesting question is what you can make from it. Upcycling and repurposing are not a side project or a capsule here. They are the method.
Three sources
Brandt's creative direction draws on three things. The first is his childhood memories of Germany: the landscape, the weather, the kind of clothing you wear when you spend time outside. The second is the philosophy of off-grid living, with its focus on self-reliance and on making things last. The third is architecture, and you can see it in the clean logic of the garments. Seams, panels and proportions are worked out rather than decorated.
Put together, those three sources explain why a Wald piece looks the way it does. It is functional first, but it is never purely technical. Form gets the same attention as utility.
Outerwear at the core
It makes sense that a label built on outdoor gear leans on jackets, and the outerwear is the heart of our first Wald delivery. The Big Bomber Jacket in black is an oversized bomber in nylon, a familiar military shape blown up in volume. The Bundeswehr Bomber in anthracite takes its name from the German armed forces and is made in goat leather, a heavier, more grown-up take on the same silhouette.
Then there are the work jackets. The Reworked Work Jacket in beige is cut from cotton, while the Reworked Work Zipper in dark earth uses a cotton and polyester blend. For colder days, the Fur Work Jacket in dark earth is a cotton work jacket with a shearling lining. Finally, the Rain Jacket comes in grey and in black: a woven nylon shell with no visible coating or membrane.
The layers underneath
Around the jackets sits a compact base wardrobe, almost all of it in cotton and in a muted palette of black, grey and earth tones. There is a Graphic Sweatshirt and matching Sweatpants in grey, a Logo Hoodie in black, and several long sleeves: the Logo Long Sleeve and the Distressed Soft Long Sleeve, both in black. The tees follow the same line, with the Reworked Work T-Shirt and the Construction T-Shirt, both in black. The Reworked Baggy Denim in black completes the look with a loose, easy leg.
None of these pieces asks for much styling. They are built to be worn together, layered under a work jacket or a bomber, and worn often.
Why Wald fits ANSH46
ANSH46 has always looked for labels that do something their own way, and Wald belongs to a new generation of German design that is considered and resourceful at the same time. The brand does not lecture about sustainability; it simply builds its collection from what is already there and lets the clothes make the case. That restraint is exactly what we like about it.
It also sits well next to the rest of our selection. If you wear the utilitarian side of Our Legacy or the darker, layered silhouettes of Rick Owens, Wald's outerwear slots in without effort.
Fit
Several Wald pieces are cut generously, the Big Bomber and the Baggy Denim in particular. Check the size details on each product page before ordering, and get in touch with the store if you are unsure between two sizes.
At ANSH46
Shop the full Wald selection online, or come and try the outerwear on at our store on the Van Oldenbarneveltstraat in Rotterdam. Stock is limited, with only a few pieces per size.