NIKIN AG
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersAarau, Aargau, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
NIKIN AG firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NIKIN AG
- Legal name
- NIKIN
- Website
- https://nikin.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NIKIN AG industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Apparel
- NAICS
- Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (32522)
- SIC
- Knit Outerwear Mills (2253)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Repair, Refurbishment & Upcycling Services (Industrial Scale) (IMAOAMAK)
Keywords
Where NIKIN AG is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aarau, Aargau
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
NIKIN AG business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct E-commerce Sales: NIKIN generates revenue through direct-to-consumer online sales of sustainable apparel and accessories via its owned e-commerce storefronts (nikin.ch for Switzerland, nikinclothing.com for international markets). Products are sold at fixed retail prices in Swiss Francs. Revenue is one-time per transaction with no recurring subscription component for standard products.
- Circular Cashback Program (Take-Back Revenue): Through the Circular Cashback program, NIKIN collects used circular garments and recycles them into new products, creating a closed-loop material cycle. While customers receive cashback, the program generates revenue by reintroducing recycled materials into the production cycle, reducing raw material costs and enabling premium circular product lines.
- Gift Cards: NIKIN sells gift cards (Geschenkkarten) through its e-commerce platform, providing a pre-paid store credit mechanism for gifting occasions.
- Corporate / B2B Partnerships: NIKIN offers corporate inquiries through a dedicated B2B corner on its website, including sponsorship and partnership programs. This likely includes bulk orders, co-branded products, or custom corporate apparel with tree-planting components.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard product pricing — T-shirts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard product pricing — Bottoms |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard product pricing — Outerwear & Loungewear |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard product pricing — Accessories |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | TreePlanter Club loyalty program |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Circular Cashback products — no discount codes applicable |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
NIKIN AG product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NIKIN AG is a Swiss sustainable fashion brand that designs, produces, and sells clothing and accessories (T-shirts, hoodies, pants, shorts, socks, beanies, caps, mugs, bags) made from organic, recycled, and innovative biodegradable materials under fair European production conditions. For every product sold, the company plants one tree through its long-standing partnership with One Tree Planted, having planted more than 2.5 million trees to date. NIKIN also operates a circular economy model through its Circular Series (naNea biodegradable fiber), the Circular Cashback take-back program, and the TreePlanter Club loyalty program, distributing exclusively through its own e-commerce storefronts and the TreeHouse flagship store in Aarau.
Product overview
NIKIN AG is a Swiss sustainable fashion brand offering a diverse portfolio of clothing and accessories for women, men, children, and babies. The core product line centers on the TreeShirt, TreeShorts, TreeHoodie, TreePants, and accessories like TreeCaps and TreeSocks. Each product plants one tree, with over 2.5 million trees planted to date. The company operates on a circular economy model with its Circular Series featuring innovative materials (naNea, RCO100 recycled cotton) and the Circular Cashback program allowing customers to return worn products for recycling and receive up to 25% cashback. The brand maintains a TreeHouse flagship store in Aarau and runs the TreePlanter Club loyalty program. Founded in 2016 by Robin Gnehm and Nicholas Hänny, NIKIN produces primarily in Europe under fair conditions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Treeanie: Beanie product line - the original product launched in 2016, named after the combination of 'tree' and 'beanie'
- TreeShirt
- TreeHoodie
- TreePants
- TreeSocks
- TreeCaps
- TreeTop
- TreeShorts
- TreeMug
- TreeHouse
- TreePlanter Club
- Circular Series
- Säntis Collection
- naNea
Products and services
- TreeShirt
- TreeHoodie
- TreeShorts
- TreePants
- Treeanie
- TreeSocks
- TreeCaps
- TreeTop
- TreeBoxers
- TreeMug
- TreeBottle
- TreeMask
- TreeShopper
- TreeHoodie Circular
- TreeShirt Circular
- Treeanie Circular
- Säntis Kollektion
- NIKIN x Ochsner Shoes
- Anniversary Collection
- TreePlanter Club
- Circular Cashback Program
- TreeHouse Flagship Store
Quantifiable outcome
- 2.5+ million trees planted globally since 2016, with tree-planting projects spanning Canada, USA, Peru, Haiti, Indonesia, Nepal, Australia, Madagascar, Ethiopia, and Kenya
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use NIKIN AG
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
NIKIN AG technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
NIKIN AG partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Fabric LoopcoreFabric Loop is a private non-profit sector organization coordinated with European initiatives that organizes and funds reuse, repair, and recycling in the Swiss textile industry. Founded by Swiss Textiles in collaboration with Calida, Mammut, Odlo, PKZ, Radys, Switcher, and Workfashion, with other members including Muntagnard, Mammut, and TRANSA. NIKIN joined as a member to take responsibility and support the offer of recyclable products in Switzerland. Fabric Loop aims to improve transparency, create circular economy structures, and set targets in 2026 for implementation in 2027, funded by an advance recycling contribution.
- One Tree PlantedcoreOne Tree Planted is a US-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2015 that plants trees globally on behalf of NIKIN. Since NIKIN's founding in 2016, One Tree Planted has decided where trees are most needed and most urgently required (Australia after forest fires, South America, Africa, and more). The partnership has planted over 2.5 million trees. NIKIN's founders Nicholas Hänny and Robin Gnehm visited One Tree Planted in Canada and the US in 2018 and 2019 and planted trees with the team. One Tree Planted plants trees monthly on NIKIN's behalf, with varying global projects. One Tree Planted planted 4 million trees in 2019 and over 5.7 million trees since 2015.
- Säntis TextilescoreSäntis Textiles developed the RCO100® recycled cotton technology used in NIKIN's Säntis Collection and ReCotton product lines (TreeShorts ReCotton Cargo, TreeShirt Pocket Mono). RCO100® reprocesses high-quality pre-consumer cotton without adding new fibers or additives, reducing CO₂ emissions and water consumption. The partnership was featured in a blog article: 'Recycled Cotton: How Annabelle Hutter Is Transforming the Textile Industry with Säntis Textiles'. Founder Annabelle Hutter leads Säntis Textiles.
- OceanSafe / Manuel SchweizercoreOceanSafe, led by Manuel Schweizer, developed the naNea biodegradable polyester fiber — the world's first synthetic fiber to receive Cradle to Cradle Certified® Gold certification. naNea is used in NIKIN's Circular Series products (TreeHoodie Circular, Treeanie Circular, TreeShirt Circular). The material is biodegradable (over 93% in seawater within 99 days) and repeatedly recyclable. This is a critical material partnership enabling NIKIN's 2030 circularity goal.
- Ochsner ShoesminorNIKIN collaborated with Ochsner Shoes on a shoe product line (NIKIN x Ochsner Shoes), expanding beyond apparel into footwear. Featured in the website's Specials section and product collections.
- SpatzminorNIKIN collaborated with Spatz on a limited-edition collection (Spatz Collab) featured in the Specials section of the website. Diego Walder of Spatz was featured in a blog article: 'Back to the Roots: How Diego Walder Is Rethinking Spatz'.
- QoQaminorNIKIN partnered with QoQa (a Swiss deal/discount platform) and Pro Lutra (an organization protecting the Swiss otter) for a tree-planting project supporting the Swiss otter. Featured in the NIKIN blog: 'Our Tree Planting Project Continues — with QoQa and Pro Lutra for the Swiss Otter'.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves2 records
NIKIN AG competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- People Tree: Pioneering UK fair-trade and sustainable fashion brand with GOTS-certified organic cotton apparel. Comparable mission-led brand identity and sustainability positioning, though with broader fair-trade artisan focus.
- Armedangels: German sustainable fashion brand offering organic, fair-trade, and circular apparel via DTC channels. Highly comparable mission-driven positioning, GOTS-certified materials, and European production footprint similar to NIKIN.
- Ecoalf: Spanish sustainable fashion brand built around recycled materials and circularity (including ocean plastic). Comparable product category, mission-led brand storytelling, and European DTC operations with global ambitions.
- Recolution: German sustainable basics and outdoor apparel brand using organic and recycled materials. Comparable GOTS positioning, DACH market focus, and DTC-first go-to-market with similar product breadth.
- LANIUS: German sustainable women's fashion brand using organic and fair-trade materials. Comparable GOTS positioning, European production, and DTC/wholesale hybrid model targeting the same mission-driven consumer.
- MUD Jeans: Dutch circular denim brand operating a Lease A Jeans take-back/circular model with Cradle to Cradle certification. Closest comparable to NIKIN's Circular Cashback program and Cradle-to-Cradle Gold material strategy, though narrower category focus.
- Bleed Clothing: German sustainable apparel brand producing organic, fair-trade clothing in Europe. Closely comparable in product mix (T-shirts, hoodies, basics), DACH market focus, and eco-mission branding.
- Knowledge Cotton Apparel: Danish/German sustainable apparel brand focused on GOTS organic cotton basics. Overlapping product category, sustainability certifications, and European DTC distribution strategy.
Emerging players
- Veja: French sustainable sneaker brand with mission-driven positioning and transparent supply chain. Adjacent category (footwear, where NIKIN has begun via the Ochsner Shoes collab) with similar DTC and storytelling approach.
Broad incumbents
- Patagonia: US-based sustainable outdoor apparel leader with deep environmental mission (1% for the Planet, Worn Wear take-back program). Larger scale and broader assortment, but overlapping mission-driven positioning and circular take-back model relevant to NIKIN's direction.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NIKIN AG social profiles
Digital presenceNIKIN AG compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
NIKIN AG financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NIKIN AG leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
NIKIN AG funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NIKIN AG M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NIKIN AG
What does NIKIN AG do?
NIKIN AG is a Swiss sustainable fashion brand that designs, produces, and sells clothing and accessories (T-shirts, hoodies, pants, shorts, socks, beanies, caps, mugs, bags) made from organic, recycled, and innovative biodegradable materials under fair European production conditions. For every product sold, the company plants one tree through its long-standing partnership with One Tree Planted, having planted more than 2.5 million trees to date. NIKIN also operates a circular economy model through its Circular Series (naNea biodegradable fiber), the Circular Cashback take-back program, and the TreePlanter Club loyalty program, distributing exclusively through its own e-commerce storefronts and the TreeHouse flagship store in Aarau.
Is NIKIN AG a public or private company?
NIKIN AG is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was NIKIN AG founded?
NIKIN AG was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is NIKIN AG based?
NIKIN AG is headquartered in Aarau, Aargau, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does NIKIN AG make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Direct E-commerce Sales are the primary driver. The others are circular Cashback Program (Take-Back Revenue), gift Cards and corporate / B2B Partnerships.
Who are NIKIN AG's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are People Tree, Armedangels, Ecoalf, Recolution, LANIUS, MUD Jeans, Bleed Clothing and Knowledge Cotton Apparel. Veja is listed as an emerging player. Patagonia is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does NIKIN AG have an API?
No public API is recorded for NIKIN AG.
What industry is NIKIN AG in?
NIKIN AG's product category is Sustainable Apparel. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAOAMAK, Repair, Refurbishment & Upcycling Services (Industrial Scale). Its NAICS code is 32522 and its SIC code is 2253.