Gerry Weber International

In 1973, in the small German town of Halle, Westphalia, Gerhard Weber and Udo Hardieck founded a company to produce and sell women's trousers. This venture, initially named Hatex KG, quickly found its footing and expanded into skirts and other womenswear. A pivotal moment came in 1986 when the company, renamed Gerry Weber, signed a young tennis player named Steffi Graf as a brand ambassador, a move that would catapult the brand's recognition. This sponsorship, coupled with the launch of the Gerry Weber Open tennis tournament, solidified its international reputation. The company went public in 1989 as Gerry Weber International AG, the same year it launched its younger, sportier Taifun brand. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Gerry Weber grew by expanding its retail footprint with its own stores and shop-in-shop concepts, at a time when the broader fashion industry was stagnating. However, the company's trajectory shifted dramatically. In January 2019, facing declining sales and mounting losses, Gerry Weber International AG filed for insolvency proceedings. After a period of restructuring, the company emerged from insolvency in early 2020. The relief was short-lived. In April 2023, the company again announced major restructuring measures, citing challenges from the pandemic, high inflation, and changing consumer behavior. This led to a capital reduction, delisting from the stock exchange, and the closure of a significant number of its German stores to focus on its wholesale and e-commerce business. The turmoil continued into 2025, with further insolvency filings for various international subsidiaries.