Etienne Aigner
Encyclopedia
Etienne Aigner AG
is a high fashion
house based in Munich
, Germany
, that specializes in luxury goods such as handbag
s, luggage
, belts
, wallet
s, leather accessories
and so on. It is named after its founder, Etienne Aigner (1904–2000).
precision with Tuscan
tradition, with motives and monogram especially, deriving from equestrian
themes as inspiration. The design of all female wear is undertaken by a subsidiary in Florence
, leather goods as handbags, belts, wallets, leather accessoires, shoes and scarves are designed in Munich
. With the "Antic Red" colour (signature colour) Aigner shows a homage to the Tuscan Chianti
Classico.
high-end leather
goods for a variety of haute couture
boutique
s.
Etienne Aigner established himself well in Paris
designing handbag
s and belts
for the European fashion elite, including Christian Dior
himself.
Etienne's older brother Lucien Aigner
was a noted photographer of famous people, and argued to be the first paparazzo.
In 1950, in New York, he displayed his Antic Red leather open-pocket bag with angular processing. He also perfected the Aigner logo
after his monogram
, the "a" for Aigner shaped into a horseshoe
.
In 1959, Etienne Aigner opened his first showroom in Manhattan
, New York
to take advantage of the newly wealthy American
clientele and jet-set.
In 1965 the "Aigner" brand and logo were registered as a license to business partner, a Mr Heiner H Rankl from Landsberg am Lech, as Aigner GmbH Munich.
Source:
s) totalled 56%; apparel 23%; accessories 4%; jewellery writing & watches 5% and sunglasses 1% of total sales.
Aktiengesellschaft
Aktiengesellschaft is a German term that refers to a corporation that is limited by shares, i.e. owned by shareholders, and may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland...
is a high fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
house based 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...
, 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...
, that specializes in luxury goods such as handbag
Handbag
A handbag, or purse in American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag that is often fashionably designed, typically used by women, to hold personal items such as wallet/coins, keys, cosmetics, a hairbrush, pepper spray, cigarettes, mobile phone etc....
s, luggage
Luggage
Baggage is any number of bags, cases and containers which hold a traveller's articles during transit.Luggage is more or less the same concept as "baggage", but is normally used in relation to the personal luggage of a specific person or persons Baggage is any number of bags, cases and containers...
, belts
Belt (clothing)
A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather or heavy cloth, and worn around the waist. A belt supports trousers or other articles of clothing.-History:...
, wallet
Wallet
A wallet, or billfold, is a small, flat case that is used to carry personal items such as cash, credit cards, identification documents , photographs, business cards and other paper or laminated cards...
s, leather accessories
Fashion accessory
Fashion accessories are decorative items that supplement and complement clothes, such as jewelery, gloves, handbags, hats, belts, scarves, wigs, watches, sunglasses, pins, stockings, bow ties, hand fans, leg warmers, leggings, neckties, suspenders, and tights....
and so on. It is named after its founder, Etienne Aigner (1904–2000).
Design
Etienne Aigner describes itself as a German brand with Italian soul, melding GermanGermany
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...
precision with Tuscan
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
tradition, with motives and monogram especially, deriving from equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
themes as inspiration. The design of all female wear is undertaken by a subsidiary in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, leather goods as handbags, belts, wallets, leather accessoires, shoes and scarves are designed 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...
. With the "Antic Red" colour (signature colour) Aigner shows a homage to the Tuscan Chianti
Chianti
Chianti is a red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a fiasco ; however, the fiasco is only used by a few makers of the wine now; most Chianti is now bottled in more standard shaped wine bottles...
Classico.
History
Etienne Aigner was born in Ersekujvar, Hungary, in 1904 (now Nove Zamky, Slovak Republic). Aigner was first bookbinder and began shortly after the Second World War, in Paris, bespokeBespoke
Bespoke is a term employed in a variety of applications to mean an item custom-made to the buyer's specification...
high-end leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
goods for a variety of haute couture
Haute couture
Haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,...
boutique
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
s.
Etienne Aigner established himself well in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
designing handbag
Handbag
A handbag, or purse in American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag that is often fashionably designed, typically used by women, to hold personal items such as wallet/coins, keys, cosmetics, a hairbrush, pepper spray, cigarettes, mobile phone etc....
s and belts
Belt (clothing)
A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather or heavy cloth, and worn around the waist. A belt supports trousers or other articles of clothing.-History:...
for the European fashion elite, including Christian Dior
Christian Dior
Christian Dior , was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, also called Christian Dior.-Life:...
himself.
Etienne's older brother Lucien Aigner
Lucien Aigner
Lucien Aigner was a Hungarian photographer and pioneering photojournalist. He was born in Érsekújvár, Austria-Hungary and died inWaltham, Massachusetts....
was a noted photographer of famous people, and argued to be the first paparazzo.
In 1950, in New York, he displayed his Antic Red leather open-pocket bag with angular processing. He also perfected the Aigner logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
after his monogram
Monogram
A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series of uncombined initials is properly referred to as a...
, the "a" for Aigner shaped into a horseshoe
Horseshoe
A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
.
In 1959, Etienne Aigner opened his first showroom in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to take advantage of the newly wealthy American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
clientele and jet-set.
In 1965 the "Aigner" brand and logo were registered as a license to business partner, a Mr Heiner H Rankl from Landsberg am Lech, as Aigner GmbH Munich.
Timeline
- 1972- Etienne Aigner SrI is founded in ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and responsible for the entire leather production. Later expanded to include shoes and luggageLuggageBaggage is any number of bags, cases and containers which hold a traveller's articles during transit.Luggage is more or less the same concept as "baggage", but is normally used in relation to the personal luggage of a specific person or persons Baggage is any number of bags, cases and containers...
. - 1973 Brand goes international and franchising system introduced
- 1974 Fashion accessories such as silk scarves introduced
- 1975 Aigner enters cosmetic market with a perfume
- 1978 First fashion collection- casual dress for men and women
- 1979 Aigner becomes a public limited company
- 1982 Introduces "Treasure"-line watches and costume jewellery designed by
- 1983 Goes public
- 1987 License granted for Aigner eyewear
- 1990 License granted for men's and women's apparel
- 1991 Collaboration with VolkswagenVolkswagenVolkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
for special Etienne Aigner Edition Golf Cabriolet, featuring logos and special fabric - 1994 Introduction of a new corporate identity
- 2001 Aigner awards design of watches to pe.timedeign/Pforzheim
- 2002 New flagshipFlagshipA flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
store opened in Munich - 2003 Aigner catwalk debut at MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
o Moda Donna - 2003 large boutique in Terminal 2 of Munich Airport
- 2004 "Sabatini SpA" awarded license for Aigner womenswear, "Nigura Metzler Optics International GmbH, Dusseldorf" wins license for glasses. Jewellery, watches and writing licensed to "pe.timedesign". Male clothing is licensed to "Dressler Bekleidungswere Brinkmann GmbH & Co. KG" of DüsseldorfDüsseldorfDüsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. - 2005 New shop systems "Champagne" realized in DubaiDubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
and JakartaJakartaJakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre... - 2006 Inauguration os sterling silverSilverSilver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
collection - 2008 Mr Udo Edling appointed global Creative Director
Source:
Distribution
The company's products, are available in 49 countries globally and more than 438 retail stores.Market Share
In Aigner's Prospectus 2009, it was stated: 60% of all sales are from the external market, and 40% from German domestic market. Of these combined, sales included: leathergoods (including handbags, shoes, walletWallet
A wallet, or billfold, is a small, flat case that is used to carry personal items such as cash, credit cards, identification documents , photographs, business cards and other paper or laminated cards...
s) totalled 56%; apparel 23%; accessories 4%; jewellery writing & watches 5% and sunglasses 1% of total sales.
Involvement in Equestrian World
In 1974, Etienne Aigner inaugurated the "Royal Ascot in Munich": the 1974 Etienne Aigner Renntag (Race Day).Patents
Etienne Aigner took out a series of patents to protect his innovative products. some include:- Etienne Aigner Buckle Patent: US Patent D218,007: Google Patent Reference
- Etienne Aigner Shoe Ornament Patent: US Patent D211,847: Google Patent Reference
- Etienne Aigner Handbag Closure Clasp Patent: US Patent D211,310: Google Patent Reference
- Etienne Aigner Handbag Closure Clasp Patent: US Patent D214,156: Google Patent Reference
- Etienne Aigner Chain variable element Patent: US Patent D214,156: Google Patent Reference
External links
- http://www.Aigneronline.com Official Homepage Etienne Aigner AG
- http://www.etienneAigner.com Etienne Aigner Patent