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Triumph International is a Swiss
underwear Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...
manufacturer founded in 1886 in Heubach,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
. The company's headquarters has been located in Bad Zurzach, Switzerland, since 1977, and it has branches in 45 countries. In addition to the Triumph brand, the company produces and distributes the products under the brands ''sloggi'' and ''AMO’s Style by Triumph''. Triumph International has been an industry leader, particularly in women's and sleepwear, since the 1960s. Shares of the German subsidiary have been traded on the stock exchange until 2011.


History

In 1886,
Johann Gottfried Spiesshofer Johann Gottfried Spiesshofer (February 9, 1854 – March 31, 1917) was a German industrialist and pioneer of the undergarment industry. The son of a weaver, he was known for his outstanding expertise in weaving techniques. Together with merchant ...
and Michael Braun founded a factory for the production of corsets in Heubach (
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
). They first employed six people on the same number of sewing machines. That number rose to 150 people in 1890, and in 1894 their first exports were sent abroad, to England. It was only in 1902 that Spieshofer and Braun registered the ''Triumph'' brand, which was reminiscent of the Parisian Arc de Triomphe, to which ''International'' was later added. After the economic boom in the 1920s, demand for the classic corset declined, which is why the company began parallel production of brassieres. In the 1930s, Triumph International also began producing corselets. In 1933, the first foreign branch was set up in Bad Zurzach ( Switzerland). With the division of Germany in 1949, the Triumph International brand continued in the German Democratic Republic, but business activities there came to a virtual standstill. However, the internationalization of the company continued in the following period and beginning in the 1950s, offices were opened in
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
,
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
, Sweden,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. Triumph International further expanded in 1960 by establishing its Asia-Pacific region headquarters in
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
, and opening its first Japanese branch in 1963. At the time, observers already described it as a "cunning web" of companies, some of which were registered in the tax havens of
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German language, German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constit ...
and
Bermuda ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , ...
. In the late 1960s, Triumph International's market share for corsetry in Germany was about 50 percent. At that time, the group had generated sales of 620 million
Deutsche Mark The Deutsche Mark (; English: ''German mark''), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it ...
and employed 22,600 employees. In the mid-1960s Triumph International introduced broad scale electronic data processing. Due to the economic crisis, the company encountered significant difficulties for the first time at the beginning of the 1970s, meaning the company even had to introduce short-term work. The crisis also affected the company’s tights sales, which they had begun in 1969 and discontinued only three years later. At the same time, Triumph International began for the first time to produce products from lighter fabrics with fibers such as nylon or lycra. At the end of the 1970s, the new ''sloggi'' brand was introduced, under which underwear and other products with high
cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor p ...
content were marketed. The company moved its headquarters from Germany to Switzerland in 1977, and its holding has since been headquartered in Bad Zurzach. By 1986, sales increased to 996 million Swiss francs and the number of employees fell slightly to 19,000 employees. At the same time, sales began in the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, sli ...
and beginning in 1988, individual Triumph products were manufactured under license in
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
for the local market. This included swimwear in addition to underwear. With the takeover of two French name brands, HOM and Valisère, Triumph International ventured into the men's underwear and high-quality
lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fash ...
market. At the same time, the company announced in 1995 that in the future it would focus more on its Triumph umbrella brand, under which a number of brands would be classified. To that end, an advertising campaign was launched featuring
Naomi Campbell Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is an English model, actress, singer, and businesswoman. She began her career at the age of 15, and established herself amongst the most recognisable and in-demand models of the past four decades. Cam ...
and Helena Christensen. In the 1990s, Triumph International launched another phase of international expansion, and since 1998 it has been present on the subcontinent of India. In 2001, its newest production facility opened in
Dunaújváros Dunaújváros (; also known by other alternative names) is an industrial city in Fejér County, Central Hungary. It is a city with county rights. Situated 70 kilometres (43 miles) south of Budapest on the Danube, the city is best known for its ...
(
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
), which has been sold in the interim. After the turn of the millennium, Triumph was one of the biggest textile manufacturers in terms of sales in the domestic market. From 2008 to 2012, the company hosted the ''Triumph Inspiration Awards'', where lingerie designers were able to compete according to an annually changing theme. The entries were evaluated both by a jury and according to the votes by visitors to the competition website. In 2009, the competition attracted broader attention, particularly as that event was held in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. Initially a local competition was held in the participating countries prior to the international final competition. Since 2012, all the collections of Triumph International have been tested for harmful substances and certified under the Oeko-tex standard for textiles, after individual products had been successfully tested as early as 1993 when the initiative was established. In recent years, the company has expanded, opening new stores of its own and acquiring competitors. In 2010, Triumph International acquired Beldona, the leading Swiss distributor of lingerie, and later purchased other distributors in
Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. The Triumph International AG, headquartered in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, under which the company's German business is associated, was once again fully acquired by the company in 2011 through the exclusion of minority shareholders; by now, it has been transformed into a GmbH (Triumph International GmbH). Since then, company stocks have no longer been traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and the company is wholly owned by the Braun and Spiesshofer families. In 2017, Triumph made the decision to close its standalone stores in the United Kingdom, beginning to only sell online and through concessions in stores like Debenhams and
House of Fraser House of Fraser (also operating as Frasers) is a British department store group with 44 locations across the United Kingdom, which is now part of Frasers Group. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891, it w ...
.


Brands

The Triumph brand is the focus of the company. Products are divided into several categories for different target groups, with Triumph International typically presenting several collections each year. As of 2010, the importance of shapewear for the company increased, and Triumph's sale of these products attracted special attention. In 2013, Triumph was honored as one of the best brands. In 2015, the ''Magic Wire'' bra received the
Red Dot Design Award The Red Dot Design Award is a German international design prize awarded by Red Dot GmbH & Co. KG. There are prize categories for product design, brands and communication design, and design concept. Since 1955, designers and producers can app ...
; at the 2018 ISPO, the almost seamless "Seamless Motion Sports Bra" from Triaction by Triumph is awarded the ISPO Award in the Health & Fitness category. In 2019, consumers called up by the influential German trade magazine "Textilwirtschaft" vote Triumph to be the by far most popular body wear manufacturer brand. In the late 1970s, Triumph International launched the ''sloggi'' cotton underwear brand, at first only for female customers and later also with products for men (sloggi Men) and swimwear (sloggi swim). Since the 1980s, Triumph International has also been targeting young customers aged up to 25 years old with the ''BeeDees'' brand. The products are characterized by accessories and patterned fabrics. In addition to sloggi and BeeDees, the company has also been marketing sports bras under ''Triaction'' since the late 1990s. In accordance with the company’s strategy to focus on its tow global brands, Triumph and sloggi, the BeeDees brand was sold in 2017 to the Jansen Fashion Group (in Wesseling, Germany). In the 1980s HOM, the French manufacturer of upscale underwear for men, was purchased and has since continued as a
trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from oth ...
within the company. The headquarters was located in
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fran ...
. In early 2015, HOM was sold to the Austrian Huber Group, as Triumph wanted to streamline its portfolio. Valisère is the label for upper segment products, which beginning in 2007 became also available in Germany and was used primarily for luxury lingerie. Triumph products are distributed both via trade partners and department stores, as well as in their own shops. By the end of 2017, the company had built a network of 3,600 controlled points of sale in 120 countries, which are operated by Triumph itself, by franchisees or run by other partners. In addition, Triumph serves 40,000 retail trade partners. The company is one of the largest lingerie retailers in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
based on the number of branches. The largest branch in terms of retail space was opened in Dresden's Centrum Gallery in 2012; 2018 saw the opening of the store in Hamburg’s Jungfernstieg; other flagships stores are, for example, in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Copenhagen. In addition, Triumph International operates several online stores. These were developed using a fulfillment service provider that is part of Arvato.


Criticism

In 2002, Triumph International had to close its factory in
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
due to public pressure. The Berne Declaration and Clean Clothes Campaign accused the company of renting land from the country's military regime and thus indirectly supporting it. In January 2002, Triumph International announced that it would close the affected factory and offer a social plan for the remaining employees because no buyer had been found. Moreover, Triumph International clarified that there had not been any forced laborers among the employees. In October 2003, the self-regulatory body of the French advertising industry criticized Triumph International for a campaign for the ''sloggi'' brand. At the center of the protest was a picture of scantily clad women on billboards which advertised thongs under the slogan "It's String Time". It was claimed that the ads violated the dignity of women and harmed the public perception of advertising, but the company did not adjust the campaign. It was also criticized for the same reason by leading French politicians like Ségolène Royal. In 2008, Triumph International came under fire after a female president of a local union was dismissed in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
. She had appeared on a Thai evening television program with a T-shirt on which a controversial political statement could be seen. The statement addressed the subject of a case of Lèse Majesté, a crime prosecuted with high prison sentences in Thailand and a highly sensitive issue in the Kingdom. The company's management had the view that the appearance had harmed their public image and therefore laid off the staff member in question. One of the company’s Thai work councils, Triumph International Labor Union, protested and collected 2,500 signatures to petition for the rehiring of the union president, supported in solidarity in Germany, inter alia, by the
ver.di (''Verdi'' (stylized as ''ver.di''; vɛʁdiː; German: ''United Services Trade Union'') is a German trade union based in Berlin, Germany. It was established on 19 March 2001 as the result of a merger of five individual unions and is a m ...
youth. In November 2008, the Labor Court in Bangkok found the lay-off to have been lawful. Most recently, Triumph International has been the subject of even greater criticism after mass layoffs in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
and the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
at the end of 2009 were met with transnational protests by trade unions. The company regretted this step and made it clear that it was necessitated by the global economic crisis. Allegations that, parallel to the redundancies, another location was being set up in Thailand, were unfounded. In 2014, the Japanese division of Triumph issued a voluntary recall on around 22,000 bras for underwire fault. The recall applied to bras that were sold only in Japan. There have been no reports of injuries from the defect.


References


External links


Official Triumph website

Triumph store locator webpage
{{Authority control Aargau Clothing companies of Switzerland Lingerie brands Underwear brands Clothing companies established in 1886 Swiss brands Multinational companies headquartered in Switzerland 1886 establishments in Germany