History
OVER 90 YEARS OF ALPINE EXPERIENCE
HANs WAGner was born in 1896 in Jetzendorf, Bavaria. He founded the company and later became its namesake. Like his father and grandfather before him, Hans learned shoemaking as a trade. His two brothers Alfred and Lorenz Wagner became shoemakers and just like Hans founded their own companies: Hochland and Lowa.
1919
In Munich Hans Wagner was taught the art of double stitching. Today only a few shoemakers master this technique, but at HANWAG it’s one that’s carefully upheld.
1921
Hans Wagner became self-employed and opened his own workshop in Vierkirchen - where HANWAG still has its headquarters today. He produced made-to-measure footwear and carried out repairs there. To boost his income he had to visit neighbouring farms and repair old shoes in return for food or a day's wage.
1922
A local dealer heard about the quality of Hans Wagner’s double-stitched shoes and takes over selling them. Business was so successful that Hans Wagner took on four apprentices and built his first house.
1926
Demand continued. Wagner extended the workshop and employed seamstresses.
1936
Hans Wagner produced his first leather ski boots for the Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. At this point in time, Hans also employed his nephew Josef Wagner. Josef trained to be a shoemaker and eventually took over the company.
1945
Hans Wagner wanted to give his company a proper name and after some deliberation settled on ‘Hawa’.
1952
For legal reasons (a textile company with the same name already existed) Josef Wagner had to rename the company and simply changed it to HANWAG.
1956
HANWAG showcased its products for the first time at a sports equipment trade show in Wiesbaden, which was later to become ISPO. At this trade show, Josef Wagner met Klaus Obermeyer, who had emigrated to the US and worked in the skiing business. In the following years, HANWAG became the exclusive supplier of boots for Obermeyer. Countless thousands of pairs per year were sold in North America under the ‘Garmisch’ brand name.
1970
HANWAG launches the ‘Haute Route’, the first special alpine touring ski boot.
1980
By harnessing the expertise of German rock climbing legend Sepp Gschwendtner, HANWAG was one of the first manufacturers to produce lightweight climbing boots. The outdoor trend kicked off in the 1980's. People were drawn to the great outdoors whether it was hiking, trekking, backpacking or mountaineering, right in their backyard or at the other end of the world. HANWAG focused on this market and discontinued production of skiing boots.
1987
HANWAG launched the first special boots for paragliders, again with the support of Gschwendtner-Sepp. Today, HANWAG is global market leader in this segment.
1996
HANWAG produces the ‘Alaska GTX’, a leather trekking boot with GORE-TEX® lining. It’s still a best seller today and the design is virtually unchanged. German magazine OUTDOOR described the Alaska as a classic trekking boot.
2004
Lacking an heir in the family, Sepp Wagner sold his company to Fenix Outdoor AB from Sweden (which also owns the Fjällräven, Primus, Brunton and Tierra brands). The purchase agreement included a clause that the Vierkirchen headquarters were to remain and all jobs there were to be safeguarded.
2006
Fenix Outdoor built new warehouses, admin and production facilities in Vierkirchen - all alpine boots and sophisticated crafted footwear are still made there. Today, along with partners HANWAG has further exclusive production facilities in Croatia, Hungary and Rumania which supply the same high quality as the original facilities.
2009
Since 2009 HANWAG has fitted all its special winter footwear with an innovative and specially developed IceGrip sole. Finely ground splinters of glass which are added to the rubber sole offer seven times more grip on ice and slippery surfaces than conventional rubber blends.
2011
HANWAG celebrated its 90th anniversary and the slogan “90 Years of Alpine Experience”. As a thank you to its customers and in conjunction with the German Alpine Club (DAV), HANWAG donated a new bivouac shelter for Jubiläumsgrat, a route between Zugspitze and Alpspitze.
2011
As the first German manufacturer of trekking boots, HANWAG offered Real Custom Made footwear. By applying state-of-the-art scanning technology a custom-made last is created for each foot to make the made-to-measure shoe. Our custom-made shoes are only produced by experts in Germany and underscore our role as a specialist in fit.
2012
As the first manufacturer of alpine and trekking footwear, HANWAG uses Bio Leather as uppers. Leather tanned with vegetable tanning agents are used for the lining of the three new BIO models. It is chrome-free and therefore non-allergenic.
2013
To enable pain-free hiking for people with bunions, HANWAG launched the first model with a specially developed bunion last in 2013. HANWAG now offers three bunion models with further in the pipeline.
2013
HANWAG worldwide: In conjunction with subsidiary Fjällräven, the Bavarian shoemaker opened an Epic Store in Soho, New York, with one opening shortly afterwards in Amsterdam.
