Thor Steinar
| Type | GmbH |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fashion |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Headquarters | Berlin, Germany |
| Products | Clothing |
| Employees | c. 160 |
| Website | thorsteinar.de |
Thor Steinar is a German clothing brand manufactured by Thor Steinar Mediatex GmbH, a subsidiary of International Brands General Trading, a Dubai-based company.
Contents |
[edit] History
The brand was registered as a trademark by Axel Kopelke in October 2002.
[edit] Controversy
Since the inception of Thor Steinar, the company has used two logos. Much of the controversy regarding the clothing label revolves around their first logo, featuring a combination of a *tiwaz rune and a *sowilo rune. The manufacturers of the Thor Steinar brand reject the controversial interpretations of the former logo,[1]. Their second logo is a Gyfu rune, similar in appearance to a Saltire, and has not caused controversy.
[edit] Germany
Various authorities and organizations, including Brandenburg Verfassungsschutz[2][3] have identified the wearing of Thor Steinar clothes as one of the indications of membership in the Right-wing subculture.
Wearing the label is prohibited in the German Bundestag and in the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In addition several football clubs including Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen and Hertha BSC prohibit wearing the label in their stadiums.[4]
[edit] Norway
Various designs by Thor Steinar have had Norwegian flags and Norwegian names, such as Trondheim, Nordfjord, Nordstrand or Bergen. The official stores selling the clothes are also named after the oldest Norwegian city, Tønsberg.[5] The government filed a complaint against the use of the Norwegian flag in February 2008.[6] The legal complaint however failed and it is unlikely that a second attempt will be made. The Norwegian Embassy, the Norwegian Office for Foreign Affairs were informed by Mediatex - the company behind the Thor Steinar brand - on the 6th of December 2007 that future collections starting and including the Spring/Summer 2008 collection will no longer use the national symbol of Norway. The company issued a statement in response to the issue.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Thor Steinar's rejection of controversial interpretations of their logo: [1]
- ^ Verfassungsschutz Brandenburg: „Thor Steinar“ scheitert mit neuem Vertriebsweg, 2008
- ^ Verfassungsschutzbericht Brandenburg 2007, p. 162
- ^ Der Tagesspiegel: Hausverbot im Bundestag, 16. März 2008
- ^ Berglund, Nina (2006-12-04). "Neo-nazi clothing 'abuses' Norway's flag". Aftenposten. http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1556465.ece. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
- ^ Radke, Johannes (2008-02-15). "Norwegen klagt gegen Thor Steinar" (in german). Der Tagesspiegel. http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/div/;art771,2476984. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
- ^ Thor Steinar's official statement addressing the flag issue
