Maxvorstadt has the youngest population in Munich; The average age here in 2023 was 38.6 years. This is also reflected in the gastronomy and shopping offer: Many traditional local and shops give way to large chains, concept stores and special gastronomy. Basically good, says Julia Seiss. The thirty -five -year -old has been living in Maxvorstadt for eight years. There she also observes: The more new concepts the streets line, the fewer starting points for older people: “My 87 -year -old neighbor does not sit down in a vegan breakfast café,” says Seiss. “This is not his thing, nor in terms of price.” A frequent reaction is the withdrawal to your own apartment. Single people can be lonely in this way. Many people live alone in Maxvorstadt. Seiss was increasingly noticeable that older people were less visible. She didn’t let go of the topic. She wanted to do something for encounter and, given the many low pensions, against poverty in old age. What could be exactly this “something”, she became clear on a trip to East Africa in 2024. Seiss knows the region well, especially Kenya and Tanzania. Here tourists are welcomed with “Jambo”, in German “Hello”. For Seiss a word with a happy, open sound. A word that could also fit as a name for a company, she thought. A company with which you can tie the desire to integrate older people more and enable them to get an additional earnings with their other passions: for Africa, for clothing with Leo-Print (which she also wears during the conversation) and for sewing (which she already learned from her mother as a child). This text comes from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. In late summer 2024, Seiss Jambo, a label for children’s clothing with Leo patterns from Öko-Tex fabrics, was founded in Munich by people who have long since retired, but would like to bring their professional and life experience meaningful and together with others. In the rooms of a Munich sewing school, they manufacture clothes for children between the ages of three and eight, the smallest size is 98, the largest 128. The prices are deliberately moderate: Leggings are available from 27 euros, shorts from 30 euros. Together, the T-shirts, leggings, short pants, skirts, dirndls, headbands and scrunchers (who can also wear adults) have one: the leopard pattern in bright colors. This is currently not only in great demand in fashion, but also practical: you don’t see stains on it immediately. First of all, the Jambo team consists of nine women and men with others, the youngest is 65, the oldest 78. They work on a mini-job basis. “556 euros may not be much in an expensive city like Munich, but at least this sum enables you to treat yourself to something, which may otherwise not be possible,” says Seiss. But not all senior citizens at Jambo live in poverty in old age, she emphasizes: “For some, the focus is on having a meaningful job.” There is the older lady, whose husband died recently and “just out and want to exchange ideas”. And there is the Syrian-born pensioner who worked in a sewing factory in his home country before he came to Munich-and hardly has to explain anything to the team if she shows the team new designs. Practical camouflage pattern: You don’t see Leo-Print immediately. So not that with jambo designs, buttons and zippers are dispensed with as often as possible. Such elements can simply break quickly in children’s fashion, says Seiss. Instead, Jambo rely on thick, durable seams, because “our things should be carried for a long time and passed on to siblings”. Why did she choose children’s clothing? “In this area it seemed easiest to get started. Children’s fashion is giving away more as adult fashion, trends play a lower role, and children’s fashion is more gender -neutral.” The experience of older people can be precious to being the founder of the founder is the only one. She worked in the international hotel and brewery industry for many years, today she leads a company that specializes in hotel and restaurant tests. An almost exclusively digital work- and a very flexible: “I can work at any time of the day and night, because hotel and restaurant tests are done around the clock.” She dedicates Jambo in production weeks for 25 to 30 hours, in quieter phases it is around ten hours. Seiss, however, finds it relieving, especially when it comes to pricing: “I earn my salary with my main job. We put what is left at Jambo.” Especially in the equipment that can be expensive when it comes to industrial sewing machines. As the next big investment, a embroidery machine is planned, according to the volunteer founder. Jambo founder Julia Seissluise Aedtneram Example of Jambo becomes clear how important cross-generational work is and how precious the experience of older people can be in professional life. This is also evident in the special role that Seiss’ mother plays in the project. From the beginning, she, also a passionate hobby near Jambo, supports her: “My mother has thirty years of experience as a production manager in a large company. At Jambo, she helps me with the structure of the production processes and controls many design ideas.” You can tell how much she appreciates and respects the decades of experience of others. The question of whether she has to explain new designs particularly patiently or slowly in the sewing studio will also make them laugh: “It is not at all. It works faster. These people have often been in professional life for over forty years and have an incredible amount of life experience. They listen, say ‘everything’ and get started. “A third of the customers buy from us because they want to support the project and the idea that we humans want to include in society again. A third because they want to shop locally. And a third simply finds Leo-Prints cool,” says Seiss. Seiss are increasingly reaching inquiries from people who want to participate in the sewing machine. The workload is currently still limited, because in the rooms of the sewing school where Jambo is currently producing, there is only space for five sewing machines. The founder is often asked whether you could sew from home. “This is still exceeding our capacities,” says Seiss, but: “In the long term, it would be a wish to expand the idea for locations in other cities.” Age poverty and fewer and fewer start-up points for older people are a problem all over the country. Bis is so far, she plans the next steps: There should be two Jambo collections a year in the future, one in spring, one in autumn. In addition, Seiss would also like to be able to incorporate seniors with little sewing experience-preferably in their own sewing studio: “A separate small production location with a connected sales room is our great wish for the future.” So far, jambo designs have only been available in the online shop, but Seiss is already in conversations with Munich retailers. Hopefully there is also one in the Maxvorstadt below.
