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Mayser

1800

Leonhard Mayser (1775-1839) opens a millinery shop in Sterngasse street in Ulm. Times are turbulent in the town occupied by Napoleon, but the company does not take long to become successful. Mayser soon makes a name for itself in the production of handmade men’s felt hats.

 

1858

Leonhard Mayser leaves his son Friedrich (1808-1887) a considerable company. Friedrich Mayser and his son Fritz (1840-1907) become leading figures in the industrialisation of Ulm.
They develop their own business, help to finance other companies, and introduce mechanical manufacturing.

 

1886

The company’s steady growth requires further financial scope for future activities. The F. Mayser & Sohn hat factory becomes Mayser AG – and is now one of the largest public limited companies in the country.

 

1903

Fritz Mayser is an influential local politician and also represents Ulm in the state parliament in Stuttgart for several terms. From 1901 to 1903, he erects a new building with all of the technical achievements of the day on the street “Untere Bleiche” in Ulm. In this building, Carl Mayser (1871-1956), the highly valued specialist both in
Germany and abroad, takes over management of the company one year before his father’s death.

 

1914

Munich-based hat manufacturer Anton Seidl invests in Mayser AG. During the course of this, the company becomes a GmbH. Carl Mayser and Anton Seidl become equal partners.

 

1918

Anton Seidl becomes the sole owner of the Mayser company. He continues to expand the company for years to come.

 

1924

Under Anton Seidl, Mayser expands its range and begins to produce women’s hats. This important step allows the company to double production and to further establish itself. The Mayser brand name now stands for high-quality men’s and women’s hats. To protect the brand, it is registered with the patent office in Berlin.

 

1929

Anton Seidl acquires the J. Milz & Cie. straw hat factory, founded in Lindenberg im Allgäu in 1833, and takes another big step in the company’s history. By taking over this company, Mayser is now equipped to also manufacture straw hats.

 

1940

After Anton Seidl’s death, his son-in-law, Curt M. Zechbauer of Munich, takes over management of the company. With the change of management, the company is transformed into a general partnership.

 

1950

The years of the West German economic miracle are a great success for the Mayser company – people are wearing hats again.

 

1963

Record production at Mayser: The company manufactures around 3.5 million hats. This is the best-ever production achievement in the company’s history! And a high point of German hat production.

 

1969

Peter M. Zechbauer, the son of Curt M. Zechbauer, takes over the company. One of his first business decisions: He introduces the manufacture of fabric hats in Lindenberg. In addition to headwear, the Lindenberg site also manufactures other products based on their experience of manufacturing hats.

 

1991

Due to the realignment of the company, Peter M. Zechbauer concentrates on hat manufacturing in Lindenberg. Mayser is the only one of 34 hat factories that still produces headwear in the former “little Paris” of millinery fashion.

 

2011

Mayser relocates its entire hat production to the Mayser-Rožňava factory in Slovakia, which was founded in 2002. Design, sales and purchasing remain based out of Lindenberg. What makes it so special: Mayser built the factory in Slovakia and also trains all of the staff in-house.

 

Today

Sales in 44 countries, 350,000 hats and 2 collections (each with 200 models per year) make Mayser one of the leading hat companies in the world. In addition to the traditional Mayser collection, Michael Zechbauer, the son of Peter M. Zechbauer, develops the “Michael Zechbauer - Style for Men by Mayser” collection.