Wolford

The Wolford AG, with its headquarter in Bregenz at Lake Constance in Austria, is a manufacturer of textiles of the top price segment focusing on tights, bodysuits and underwear, as well as women's clothing and accessories.

Bodysuit with detachable blouse insert and tights from the Cosmopolitan collection of autumn / winter 2004
This article is about marketer and manufacturer of hosiery and lingerie. For city in Pierce County, see Wolford, North Dakota.
Wolford AG
TypePublic
WBAG: WLFD
IndustryApparel
Founded1950
Headquarters
Bregenz
,
Austria
Number of locations
approx. 60 countries, 260 stores[1]
Key people
Silvia Azzali (CCO), Andrew Thorndike (COO)
ProductsHosiery, bras, panties, and lingerie
Production output
Europe (Austria and Slovenia)
€137,22 million (2018/19)[1]
Number of employees
approx. 1,347 (FTE) [1]
Websitewww.wolford.com

The Wolford AG has 16 subsidiaries and markets its products in approx. 60 countries through more than 260 own and partner-operated retail-stores, 3,000 trading partners and 17 online stores.[1] Listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1995, in the fiscal year 2018/19 (May 1, 2018 to April 30, 2019) the company generated revenues of 137.22 million euros.[1] Wolford has approximately 1,347 employees (FTE).[1]

The company is well known for its seamless products such as tights, but also for its co-operations with photographers such as Helmut Newton,[2] Howard Schatz, Ellen von Unwerth,[3] Jean Baptiste Mondino and Rankin.[4] For its collections, Wolford has co-operated with designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Vivienne Westwood.

History

In 1949 in Bregenz on Lake Constance (Austria), a city with a genuine textile heritage, the industrialist Reinhold Wolff from Vorarlberg (Austria) and the retail entrepreneur Walter Palmers (1903–1983) from Vienna founded a company called Wolff & Co. KG, focussing on the production of women's stockings made from real and artificial silk. They customized used American Cotton machines specifically for their own purposes, and for the first time processed polyamide fiber into stockings. The following year, the Wolford brand was officially registered. The brand name is a portmanteau of the name of the founder Reinhold Wolff and the city of Oxford. It should be internationally applicable. The international expansion began in the 1970s. In 1988, the company carried out a strategic refocusing and positioned its products in the luxury segment, which continues to today and is still being expanded. In addition to that, in April 1988, the company was transformed into a stock corporation. On 14 February 1995 Wolford went public with the so-called "Lady Share" in Vienna and Paris. The company made its mark over the years mainly due to its new seamless products, e.g. tights and bodysuits, as well as collaborations with designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Emilio Pucci, Zac Posen, Kenzo, Valentino and Vivienne Westwood. Further, co-operations with photographers such as Helmut Newton, Ellen von Unwerth[5] and Mario Testino contributed to the brand awareness.

Company

The Executive Board of the Wolford AG consists of Silvia Azzali (CCO) and Andrew Thorndike (COO).[6]

The Supervisory Board of Wolford AG currently comprises four members:

  • Junyang Shao (Chairwoman of the Presidium, Appointed through to 35th AGM 2021/22)
  • Thomas Dressendörfer (Member of the Presidium, Appointed through to 36th AGM 2022/23)
  • Yun Cheng (Member, Appointed through to 36th AGM 2022/23)
  • Matthias Freise (Member, Appointed through to 37th AGM 2023/24)

Moreover, two representatives are delegated by the Staff Council: Anton Mathis and Christian Medwed.

Fosun Industrial Holdings Limited has been the new majority shareholder in Wolford AG since 4 May 2018 and holds around 58% of the company's share capital.[1]

Products and fabrication

Wolford produces tights and stockings for women and men, underwear for women, women's clothing such as skirts, tops, shirts, pullovers etc., as well as accessories. All products are manufactured in Europe (Austria and Slovenia). Since March 2015, Wolford is a partner of Bluesign Technologies,[7] a global network working for more sustainable production processes and more transparency in the fabrication of textiles.[8]

In September 2018, Wolford launched the first biodegradable pullovers, T-shirts, and leggings onto the market. Developed within the Austrian “Smart Textiles” industry initiative, these products are fully compostable. In April 2019, the company received the “Cradleto Cradle Certified™ (Gold)” award for developing technically regenerative (i.e. fully recyclable) products. It will be presenting the first corresponding legwear products in 2020. Wolford is the first and so far the only company in the apparel and textile industry to receive “Gold” certification from “Cradle to Cradle” for developing environmentally compatible products in both categories (“biodegradable” and “technically recyclable”).[9]

References
  1. "Annual Report 2018/19" (PDF). Wolford AG. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  2. "Tights up in lights: The gloves are on as new tights take off". The Sunday Telegraph (Sydney, Australia). 22 September 1996.
  3. "Wolford Company" (in German). Wolford AG. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  4. "About Wolford". www.uktights.com.
  5. "Wolford AG – FACTS & FIGURES". company.wolford.com.
  6. "Wechsel im Wolford- Vorstand / Global Sales & Merchandising Director Silvia Azzali als Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) bestellt" [Change in Wolford Executive Board / Global Sales & Merchandising Director Silvia Azzali appointed Chief Commercial Officer (CCO)] (Press release) (in German). 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  7. "Wolford is now a bluesign® system partner". MG Premium. 14 May 2015.
  8. "The Blue Way". www.bluesign.com.
  9. Colleen Morgan (17 April 2019). "For a world beyond next season: Wolford focuses on biodegradable and recyclable garments". The Moodie Davitt Report.
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