A portrait of the man behind the mail-order giant.

The Otto family is one of Germany’s most famous families. Their business is clothing, which they sell via mail order. The Otto catalogue can be found on coffee tables in living rooms up and down the country. Michael Otto, recently stepped down as company chairman after turning 65. Under his stewardship, Otto’s revenues have topped 11 billion euros. The firm has over 120 subsidiaries across the world. Michael Otto was also an early advocate of environmental protection, and made eco-friendly policies a cornerstone of his business decades before they became fashionable. He’s won several awards for his social and environmental work. Ute Schneider and Dagmar Zindel present a portrait of Michael Otto.