Ed Meier
Encyclopedia
Ed Meier respectively the Eduard Meier GmbH
was founded in Munich
in 1596 and is the oldest existing shoemaking
company of Germany
.
The company founded by Hans Mayr is mentioned for the first time in 1596. Mayr was delivering his shoes particularly to people of the upper class
. The company was purveyor to the Saxon royal house
, the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and since 1895 also to the Bavarian royal house
(->Royal Warrant
).
It was possible to get customized
shoes "for every occasion and usage" by mail order
. Therefor Mayr made wooden replicas of the customer's feet and stored them for minimum 30 years. Afterwards the customers could choose their shoe models by dint of an illustrated catalog.
At the beginning of the 20th century Wilhelm Eduard Meier expanded the offering with ready-made high-quality shoes. After World War II
the company was rebuilt from ruins by Eduard Meier II who got the company from his father. To maximize accuracy of fit Meier used a pedoscope to see feet inside shoes. The result of his examinations were his patent-registered "Peduform" shoes.
Today the company is led by the siblings Peter Eduard and Brigitte Meier (13th generation). Besides shoes, the offering includes sports and classic clothing, leather goods and accessories. In the city of Munich it is possible to be get them delivered by a horse-drawn carriage as in former times.
Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung
Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung is a type of legal entityvery common in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other Central European countries...
was founded in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in 1596 and is the oldest existing shoemaking
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
company of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
History
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
. The company was purveyor to the Saxon royal house
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
, the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and since 1895 also to the Bavarian royal house
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
(->Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
).
It was possible to get customized
Mass customization
Mass customization, in marketing, manufacturing, call centres and management, is the use of flexible computer-aided manufacturing systems to produce custom output...
shoes "for every occasion and usage" by mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
. Therefor Mayr made wooden replicas of the customer's feet and stored them for minimum 30 years. Afterwards the customers could choose their shoe models by dint of an illustrated catalog.
At the beginning of the 20th century Wilhelm Eduard Meier expanded the offering with ready-made high-quality shoes. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the company was rebuilt from ruins by Eduard Meier II who got the company from his father. To maximize accuracy of fit Meier used a pedoscope to see feet inside shoes. The result of his examinations were his patent-registered "Peduform" shoes.
Today the company is led by the siblings Peter Eduard and Brigitte Meier (13th generation). Besides shoes, the offering includes sports and classic clothing, leather goods and accessories. In the city of Munich it is possible to be get them delivered by a horse-drawn carriage as in former times.
External links
- Ed Meier (German)