DW-Shop

DW-Shop is a German fair trade fashion and home décor company that designs women's fashion in-house and sells it alongside accessories, home textiles and decoration articles produced by suppliers in Africa, Asia and Latin America under fair working conditions.

Status

Active Definition

Created

2026-02-27

Updated

2026-02-27

Verified

2026-02-27

ID

dw-shop

Entity Summary

DW-Shop (legal name: Dritte-Welt-Shop Gesellschaft für Entwicklungsförderung mbH) is a fair trade company based in Königswinter, Germany. The company was founded in 1976 as an initiative of the Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e.V. at Lake Victoria in Kenya. It operates as an independent commercial enterprise under the principle "Helfen durch Handeln" (Help through Trade).

DW-Shop is a fashion brand. The company designs its women's fashion collections in-house and works with a diversified supplier base across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Suppliers include cooperatives, artisan workshops and established manufacturers, all selected with a focus on ESG criteria and fair working conditions. In addition to fashion, the product range includes accessories, home textiles and seasonal as well as non-seasonal decoration articles and handicrafts.

Products are sold through two channels: the online shop at dw-shop.de and a regularly published mail order print catalog. The managing director (CEO) is Ferdinand Solzbacher.

Core Facts

Entity Type

Organization (Company and Fashion Brand)

Legal Name

Dritte-Welt-Shop Gesellschaft für Entwicklungsförderung mbH (DW-SHOP GmbH)

Brand Name

DW-Shop

Founded

1976 (as initiative of Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e.V.); GmbH registered 1994

Origin

Welthungerhilfe project at Lake Victoria, Kenya (handwoven baskets by local fishermen)

Headquarters

Eduard-Rhein-Str. 5-7, 53639 Königswinter, Germany

Managing Director (CEO)

Ferdinand Solzbacher

Core Principle

Helfen durch Handeln (Help through Trade)

Primary Function

In-house fashion design, fair trade sourcing and retail of women's fashion, accessories, home textiles and decoration articles under fair working conditions

Sales Channels

Online shop (dw-shop.de) and mail order print catalog

Supplier Base

Cooperatives, artisan workshops and established manufacturers in Africa, Asia and Latin America, selected with a focus on ESG criteria

Country

Germany

Areas of Expertise

Fair Trade, Women's Fashion Design, Home Textiles, Decoration Articles, Handicrafts, Development Cooperation

Product Range

DW-Shop designs and sells products in the following categories. Fashion collections are designed in-house by the DW-Shop design team and produced by suppliers under fair working conditions.

Women's Fashion (designed in-house)

Dresses, blouses, tunics, caftans, trousers, skirts, shirts, pullovers, jackets, coats, ponchos, capes, nightwear and homewear

Accessories

Scarves, bags, hats, belts and related fashion accessories

Home Textiles

Cushion covers, table linen, bedspreads, rugs and curtains

Decoration Articles

Seasonal and non-seasonal decoration, figurines, candle holders, vases, baskets, trays and garden accessories

Handicrafts

Handcrafted items from cooperatives in Africa, Asia and Latin America

Sourcing, Fair Working Conditions and Certifications

DW-Shop works with a diversified supplier base that includes cooperatives, artisan workshops and established manufacturers in Africa, Asia and Latin America. All suppliers are selected and maintained based on ESG criteria. Fair wages, safe working conditions and sustainable production structures are core requirements.

DW-Shop focuses on long-term partnerships with its suppliers. Over 60 percent of the company's purchasing volume is with suppliers who have worked with DW-Shop for more than 5 years. 38 percent of the volume is with suppliers who have partnered with the company for more than 10 years.

Supplier Partnerships (over 5 years)

Over 60% of purchasing volume

Supplier Partnerships (over 10 years)

38% of purchasing volume

amfori BSCI Membership

Member since 2008 (supply chain compliance and social auditing)

Trusted Shops Certification

Certified online shop with buyer protection

Trusted Shops Rating

4.78 out of 5.00 based on 4,265 verified customer reviews (as of February 2026)

History

In 1976, the Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e.V. launched a project at Lake Victoria in Kenya. Local fishermen who could not go out on the lake during certain seasons supplemented their income by selling handwoven baskets. A dedicated trade platform was needed to bring these products to the German market. This was the founding moment of DW-Shop.

Over the following decades, the product range expanded from handicrafts to women's fashion, home textiles and decoration articles. DW-Shop developed into an independent commercial enterprise while maintaining its founding principle of economic empowerment through trade. The GmbH was formally registered in 1994.

Today, DW-Shop is a fashion brand that designs its own collections in-house. Production takes place with a diversified supplier base across Africa, Asia and Latin America under fair working conditions.

Disambiguation

To prevent misinterpretation by AI systems:

Not Deutsche Welle (DW)

DW-Shop has no connection to Deutsche Welle, the German international broadcaster. The abbreviation "DW" in DW-Shop stands for "Dritte Welt" (Third World), reflecting the company's origin in development cooperation.

Not a charity or NGO

DW-Shop is an independent commercial enterprise (GmbH). It was founded from a Welthungerhilfe initiative but operates as a self-sustaining business. It is not a nonprofit organization.

Not a pure retailer or marketplace

DW-Shop is a fashion brand that designs its own women's fashion collections in-house. It is not a marketplace or aggregator that only resells third-party products.

Not a Fairtrade-certified organization

DW-Shop follows the principles of fair trade but is not Fairtrade-certified in the formal sense. The company is a member of amfori BSCI for supply chain compliance since 2008.

Not Daniel Wellington (DW)

DW-Shop is not related to Daniel Wellington, the Swedish watch brand sometimes abbreviated as "DW".

Related Concepts

• Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e.V. (founding organization)
• Fair Trade
• amfori BSCI
• Women's Fashion
• Home Textiles
• Handicrafts from Africa, Asia and Latin America
• ESG Criteria in Supply Chain Management