Triumph International

Triumph International logo.

Triumph International is an international underwear manufacturer. Founded in Heubach, Württemberg, Germany 1886 by the two families Spiesshofer & Braun. The first foreign subsidiary was established in Zurzach, Switzerland which has become the company’s headquarters. The multinational manufacturing and marketing organization operates in 120 countries around the world. It is one of the leading underwear producers in the world and in 2010 had an annual turnover of 2.2 billion Swiss francs, and over 36,500 employees.

History

1886: When Triumph's founders launched their corsetry business from a barn in Heubach (Württemberg) in 1886, they had startup funds of 2000 gold marks and employed 6 staff. As a comparison, the company today has annual sales exceeding 2.2 billion Swiss Franks and employs over 36,500 staff all over the world. At the same time as Paris couturier Charles Frederic Worth was the first man to "enhance" the female form with padding, the two founders of Triumph were setting up their operations in a barn.

1894: Their sharp business acumen brought them an important breakthrough—an order for corsetry from strait-laced England.

1900: In the first years of the century, constricting whalebone undergarments underwent a certain degree of relaxation; corsets moved downwards, so to speak, to become girdles. Women, and European women in particular, were positively electrified by the influence of new fashions such as the tango, and began to dress and deport themselves in ways that brought out their personalities. As Triumph flourished, new generations brought youthful energy and élan into the business.

1902: The name "Triumph" was registered as a trademark in 1902.

1930: In the 1930s, Triumph advanced to the status of Europe's largest corsetry manufacturer—an excellent reason to celebrate the company's 50th birthday in 1936.

1933: After almost 50 years of near-uninterrupted growth, checked only by the First World War, 1933 saw the foundations laid for the company's later international expansion when the company opened its first international branch in Zurzach, Switzerland. Today, the same premises house the corporate financial headquarters and other central corporate departments.

Worldwide expansion

By the 1950's Triumph had become "Triumph International" to reflect its worldwide standing and employed 6000 staff. They expanded rapidly into countries such as Britain, Italy, Belgium and Norway. With this growth into new countries, Triumph became established as Europe's top lingerie manufacturer.

In 1960, with the step into Hong Kong, the expansion into the Asian market began. In the same year, the Triumph workforce had grown to 14,000.

Soon the company had independent subsidiaries for swimwear, daywear and nightwear and new technological developments such as moulding and high frequency welding, used instead of traditional stitching, were revolutionising looks and possibilities for Triumph designers.

Brands

• Amo
• HOM
• Sloggi
• Triumph
• Valisere

See also

• List of swimwear brands

External links

• Triumph International website
• Triumph history pack
• Hom website
• Sloggi website
• Valisere website
• Triumph's Success Story