Fynn Kliemann became successful with DIY via YouTube.
(Photo: imago images/Future Image)
Dusseldorf “Say, how lame is life without risk,” says Fynn Kliemann in the song “Everything I Have”. The artist, craftsman and Youtuber also seems to accept risk in his business life.
During the 2020 corona pandemic, Kliemann switched the production of his textile company “Oderso” from sweaters to fabric masks. These should be “cheap, fair and from Europe”. In 2020 he was even awarded the German Sustainability Prize for the business model. But as the “ZDF Magazin Royale” by moderator Jan Böhmermann announced on Friday, the YouTuber is said to have deliberately deceived his customers.
The masks sold and marketed by Kliemann are said to have been produced in Bangladesh and Vietnam instead of Portugal. Kliemann is also said not to have resold the masks at cost price, as publicly advertised.
Kliemann is said to have ordered 2.3 million masks in Asia
Böhmermann lists WhatsApp messages, e-mails, order confirmations and delivery notes as evidence of the alleged fraud. They should prove that Kliemann was involved in the business processes. In a message to his business partner Tom Illbruck, Kliemann says with regard to the conditions of the trade: “Crisis can also be cool.”
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
The online fashion retailer About You is one of the customers who bought the masks thousands of times. The listed company responded on Friday afternoon and stopped selling the masks. A company spokeswoman said: “We are currently examining the case internally to get an accurate picture of the facts.”
Böhmermann and his editors also accuse Kliemann and Illbruck of having passed on a batch of 100,000 unusable masks from Bangladesh to refugees in Greece and Bosnia. Publicly, he made the passing on of the masks, which were given to him free of charge, look like a charitable deed. Illbruck said at the time to “Business Insider” after the donation: “It feels super awesome … people are so grateful to us.”
Kliemann: A differentiated view of all perspectives
For many fans, the revelations should be a rude awakening. They admire Kliemann for his social commitment and the many projects that he apparently launched for a good cause. That’s why thousands turned their backs on the YouTuber on Friday and unfollowed his social media channels.
Kliemann became known in 2015 with craftsman videos, with which he was able to win millions of viewers in a very short time. In response to Jan Böhmermann’s allegations, he admitted on Friday afternoon: “I would like to formally apologize to everyone (…) who is now ‘disappointed and shocked at first sight’. I ask for your forgiveness and for a differentiated view of all perspectives.”
More: These graphs show the growing influence of influencers