Merz b. Schwanen

Merz b. Schwanen is a German clothing company known to produce on original loop-wheelers with organic materials in Germany.

Merz b. Schwanen
Private
IndustryClothing
Accessories
Founded2011
Headquarters
Berlin
,
Germany
Key people
Peter Plotnicki (Owner, CEO)
Gitta Plotnicki (Creative Director, Co-Owner)
ProductsFashion
Accessories
OwnerPeter Plotnicki
Websitewww.merz-schwanen.com

History

From 1911 to 2008

Originally, Merz b. Schwanen was founded by Balthasar Merz as "Balthasar Merz beim Schwanen" on the Swabian Alps in 1911 and remained a family owned business until 2008.[1]

Globalization processes dominated the following decades of the 20th century, which caused a decline of the German textile industry because of both, foreign companies and domestic companies, that outsourced parts of their value chain to low-wage countries. Eventually Balthasar Merz beim Schwanen could not keep up with those companies and was forced to close its gates in 2008 due to a lack of orders.[2]

2011 - present

After finding an original Balthasar Merz beim Schwanen Henley shirt at a flea market in Berlin, menswear designer Peter Plotnicki and his wife Gitta teamed up with one of the last remaining textile factories in Albstadt, a small town on the Swabian Jura.[3] After reevaluating the traditional way of production by using the same old loopwheelers[4] and receiving the rights to utilize the name "Merz b. Schwanen" from descendants of Balthasar Merz, the brand made was relaunched in 2011.[5] The first Menswear collection was shown at the Bread and Butter tradeshow in January 2011 in Berlin.[6] All products are designed by Peter and Gitta Plotnicki in Berlin, where the company´s headquarter is based. The production is still located in Albstadt.[7] Since its release, Merz b. Schwanen is sold in more than 35 countries.[4]

The brand has been collaborating with brands and designers like Nigel Cabourn,[8] Junya Watanabe,[9] Rowing Blazers[10] and Monocle[11]

Products

The company produces T-shirts,[6] Henley shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, undergarments[12] and socks[13] for men and women with styles referencing vintage workwear and sportswear to contemporary garments.[14] The shirts have been praised by fashion insiders such as Nick Carvell from British GQ as one of the most comfortable, as well as best-looking shirts, one will own.[12]

Most garments are made of 100% organic cotton from Greece[2] without chemical finishings, with different thicknesses or alternatively of cotton blends with Viscose or Merino wool.[14]

Another characteristic of Merz b. Schwanen garments is the woven label which is manufactured with a hand-made punch cards on historical looms from the 19th century.

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References
  1. "At Work: Merz B. Schwanen". PORT Magazine. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  2. "Merz b. Schwanen: Alte Maschinen, moderne Vermarktung". Wirtschaftswoche. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  3. Carvell, Nick (2015-11-02). "Merz B Schwanen's downtime shirts: minimal seams, maximum style". British GQ. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
  4. "Opas Hemd wird Kult - Arbeiterwäsche aus der Schwäbischen Alb". SWR.de (in German). Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  5. "The Heritage Post No 4 - Rugged Guy: Peter". The Heritage Post. January 2017.
  6. Williams, Gisela (2011-07-13). "Berlin Celebrates Bread & Butter Trade Show". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  7. "Uropas Unterhemd begeistert Retro-Fans". Die Welt. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  8. "Merz b. Schwanen for Nigel Cabourn Grandad Tee". Acquire. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  9. "Junya Watanabe Teams up With Merz B. Schwanen on Patchwork Jersey Capsule Collection". Highsnobiety. 2017-04-05. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  10. "Rowing Blazers Taps Sports D'Epoque & Merz B. Schwanen for Capsule". Highsnobiety. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  11. "10 Years of Monocle, 10 Limited Edition Products". Ape to Gentleman. 2017-03-17. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  12. Carvell, Nick. "Merz B Schwanen's downtime shirts: minimal seams, maximum style". British GQ. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  13. Tudela, Alex (2017-03-16). "Men's Fashion: Don't Be Afraid of Bright Feet". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  14. Alone, No Man Walks. "No Man Walks Alone". No Man Walks Alone. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
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