mientus: Accessibility at the Level of Exclusive Designer Fashion
Berlin based luxury fashion retailer mientus brought its online store to 100% WCAG A and 96% AA compliance with SiteCockpit. A success story about the highest standards, consistent implementation, and the fusion of exclusivity and inclusion.
About mientus: Exclusive Designer Fashion for Over 50 Years
mientus is one of the most prestigious destinations for exclusive designer fashion in Germany. For more than 50 years, the Berlin based company has stood for a carefully curated selection of international luxury brands, first class service and a shopping experience that meets the highest standards. In addition to the iconic flagship store on Kurfürstendamm, mientus operates a modern online store that gives customers worldwide access to collections from leading designers.
As a B2C online retailer, mientus falls under the requirements of the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG), which has been in effect since 28 June 2025. The online store qualifies as an electronic commerce service and must comply with EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
From approx. 55% to 100% WCAG A compliance
Comprehensive accessibility audit as starting point
easyVision, easyMonitoring and easyStatement in use
The Starting Point: Where Did We Stand in June 2024?
In June 2024, SiteCockpit conducted a comprehensive accessibility audit of the mientus online store. The automated analysis initially returned scores of 76% (A), 75% (AA) and 73% (AAA). However, the subsequent manual expert review revealed that actual compliance was only around 55 to 60%. Numerous barriers were invisible to automated tools.
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Brand slider and menus not keyboard accessible
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No visible focus indicator during keyboard navigation
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Missing skip links for direct page navigation
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Insufficient colour contrasts in key areas
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Incorrect ARIA attributes on interactive elements
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No proper heading hierarchy (H1/H2 missing)
What Was Tested? Six Key Page Types in Focus
The audit combined automated analysis with manual expert testing according to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Six representative page types covering the entire purchase journey were tested: the homepage as the central entry point, the legal notice page, login and register with form fields, a category page (womenswear) with filters and product listings, a product detail page with images, variants and cart functionality, and the sale overview with dynamic pricing.
Each page was tested on both desktop and mobile. The audit evaluated keyboard operability, screen reader compatibility (NVDA, VoiceOver), colour contrasts, text scaling, reflow at 400% zoom and correct semantic markup of all content.
The Biggest Challenges in Detail
The audit identified barriers across three priority levels. The most critical issues affected basic operability for people with motor and visual impairments.
Keyboard Operability
The brand slider, dropdown menus and interactive elements were not reachable via keyboard. Users without a mouse could not operate core shop functions. Missing skip links forced keyboard users to navigate through the entire menu on every page load.
WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A)Visual Perception
Numerous texts and controls had insufficient colour contrasts. Focus indicators were not visible, making orientation during keyboard navigation impossible. Text embedded in images could neither be enlarged nor read by screen readers.
Go to Contrast CheckerSemantics and Structure
On several pages, H1 and H2 headings were missing entirely. ARIA attributes were incorrectly set, confusing screen readers. Forms lacked adequate error validation, and the checkout process had no final review page.
WCAG 2.4.6 Headings (Level AA)The Solution: SiteCockpit as Partner Throughout the Process
Based on the audit findings, mientus and SiteCockpit implemented a systematic accessibility strategy. The prioritised approach ensured that the most critical barriers were resolved first. In parallel, easyMonitoring delivered continuous progress reports, while easyVision provided users with immediate customisation options such as contrast enhancement, text enlargement and reading modes.
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Prioritised action plan based on audit findings
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Continuous progress monitoring with easyMonitoring
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easyVision as an immediately effective assistive feature for users
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Legally compliant accessibility statement with easyStatement
SiteCockpit Products in Use
mientus relies on the full SiteCockpit product portfolio to ensure lasting digital accessibility and reliable compliance with legal requirements.
easyVision
Individual display options such as contrast, reading modes or keyboard navigation directly on the website.
easyMonitoring
Automated testing of the website for barriers according to WCAG 2.2 with clear recommendations and progress tracking.
easyStatement
Legally compliant accessibility statement, automatically generated and customisable at any time.
WCAG Audit
Comprehensive manual audit by experienced consultants as the foundation for prioritised implementation.
February 2026: The Results in Detail
The easyMonitoring report from February 2026 reveals an impressive transformation. On desktop, mientus.com achieves 100% at WCAG Level A, 96% at Level AA and 92% at Level AAA. On mobile, the scores are even higher: 100% A, 96% AA and 96% AAA. Of the critical barriers originally identified, all Level A violations have been fully resolved. The remaining AA items are limited to minor contrast deviations in promotional banners.
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Desktop: 100% A | 96% AA | 92% AAA
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Mobile: 100% A | 96% AA | 96% AAA
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All critical keyboard barriers resolved
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Focus indicators and skip links implemented
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Heading hierarchy correctly structured
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ARIA attributes corrected and validated
What Was Specifically Improved
The collaboration between mientus and SiteCockpit fundamentally improved the online store's accessibility. The improvements cover all key areas of web accessibility and make the store usable for people with a wide range of impairments.
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Full keyboard operability for all interactive elements
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Visible focus indicators on every page
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WCAG compliant colour contrasts implemented throughout
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Correct heading hierarchy and semantic HTML
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Improved form validation with clear error messages
Keyboard navigation: All interactive elements, including the brand slider, dropdown menus, filters and cart functions, are now fully operable via keyboard. Skip links allow users to jump directly to the main content.
Visual orientation: Visible focus indicators consistently accompany keyboard navigation across all pages. Colour contrasts have been adjusted throughout to meet WCAG requirements of at least 4.5:1 for text and 3:1 for controls.
Semantic structure: Every page now features a correct heading hierarchy from H1 to H6. ARIA attributes have been cleaned up and validated so that screen readers can correctly interpret and convey the page structure.
Forms and checkout: Form error validations now provide clear, understandable feedback. The search function has been repaired and is now accessible via keyboard and screen reader.
What mientus Says About the Collaboration
"SiteCockpit not only showed us where the barriers were, but guided us step by step through the implementation. The result speaks for itself: our store is now accessible to all customers, and the monitoring gives us confidence that it stays that way."
Summary
A Role Model for Accessible Luxury E Commerce
The mientus success story demonstrates that exclusive design and digital accessibility are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary: through consistent implementation of the WCAG guidelines, the store now reaches a broader audience, meets the legal requirements of the BFSG and provides all customers with an equal shopping experience. With continuous monitoring by SiteCockpit, accessibility remains secured even as future changes are made.
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