Ben was born in Hamburg, but grew up some years in Istanbul and Moscow, went to school in England and Canada, lived and studied in Paris. His whole life has been influenced by his multicultural background and this is possibly the reason why he is also a very talkative, social and open minded individual. His admiration for independent artists, manufacturers and designers made him start building back in 2013 with two of his mates, what today is a platform offering a digital showroom for local artists and entrepreneurs. They can portray their products and raise their visibility and brand awareness among the local community.
Buy local, be a local
Ben believes, that getting in direct contact with local producers, manufacturers and artists is a key element to understanding the city that you live in. It ties you up with a sense of community and at the same time, it’s not only a very inspiring process (the one of discovery), but also a very rewarding one. Unfortunately we are no longer able to appreciate fully, what’s around us, because digitalization enables us to have anything delivered anywhere with just a click. Having the ability and the will of directing attention back to what is in our direct environment is also a very valuable skill these days.
Highly visual – Good design, good taste and simplicity.
Ben had it very clear: PRODUCTMATE had to be a very visual platform, where every product would be beautifully portrayed.
What you don’t see
Ben is passionated not only about local stuff, but also about the designers and artist behind the final products or pieces of art. Those are the ones who you usually never meet or see. You never get to understand, why they do what they do and how they do it. Getting to know these people makes you understand your local environment better and definitely enriches you. PRODUCT MATE solves this problem: You see the product and at the same time have the chance to get to know more about the producer.
HAMBURG CITY TIPS
Most loved products at the moment on PRODUCTMATE?
Many young designers working with wood and concrete. So interior design is definitely a trend. Closely followed by fashion and jewelry items.
Where can we use PRODUCTMATE to discover local artists and products?
In Hamburg for sure, but also in all other German cities. The vision is to expand to the whole European market.
