Celebrate 100 Years of Vossen

VOSSEN’s success story is inextricably linked to one name: Burghardt Vossen. The entrepreneurial free spirit revolutionized the terry towel exactly 100 years ago!

Great revolutions usually begin with equally great visions. It was a similar story with our company founder, Burghardt Vossen, who developed revolutionary ideas at a young age – regarding the production of terry towels. Little did he know the boom he would trigger. Burghardt Vossen, who was born into a family of grain distillers in Gütersloh in 1895, first completed an examination as a master distiller. After completing his high school diploma and business school, he studied economics and law and then founded his first company: a screw factory that grew to 150 employees within a few years. On a trip to England, he finally made the discovery that would fundamentally change his life and the lives of many others: For the first time, he came into contact with terry towels, which were already widespread there and, at the time, were a luxury product unaffordable for the masses in Germany.

Inspired by the idea of ​​making terry towels an affordable everyday product for everyone in Germany, he immediately began working on realizing his vision upon his return. On May 6, 1925, the moment finally arrived: Using machines he had partly modified himself, Burghardt Vossen began producing his first terry towels in Gütersloh, Germany. Six employees, including his sisters Cilly and Lina, worked in his weaving mill. His company soon became successful and grew rapidly. Burghardt Vossen continued to tinker and constructed special machines to significantly shorten the production process.

In 1927, in cooperation with a Swiss machine manufacturer, he developed the first automatic colored terry cloth machine, which was four times more efficient than conventional machines and also allowed for the application of multiple colors. Business began to boom: Less than a decade after the company was founded, the number of employees had risen to 400. Production was already operating in three shifts, and VOSSEN was producing towels around the clock. The boss also actively pitched in. It is said that at that time, Vossen slept overnight in a small hut right next to the production facility so he could quickly help out if there were any problems in the operation. It goes without saying that the company also worked through the weekends – until the Second World War brought this success story to an abrupt end.

After the end of the war, the success story continued unabated. In 1951, Burghardt Vossen achieved another successful milestone for himself and his company: He invented the terry cloth housecoat and bathrobe and filed a patent for it. Thus, the dressing gown, which had previously been made of expensive silk and fine materials, became a mass-market item that has remained an indispensable part of many people’s everyday lives to this day. This innovation definitively established VOSSEN as the market leader for terry cloth products in Europe and led to rapid expansion of the company.

A PERSONALITY WITH LEADERSHIP QUALITIES

In 1950, the Burghardt Vossen weaving mill celebrated its 25th anniversary, and the company founder proudly declared, “We are somebody.” In his anniversary speech, he encouraged every employee to continue giving their best. He concluded the commemorative publication with the words, “My thanks go to everyone who has entrusted themselves to my leadership. My entire strength belongs to my company and my loyal employees.” Burghardt Vossen’s relationship with his employees must have been consistently respectful and exemplary. Excerpts from a letter his employees wrote to him on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the VOSSEN company express their gratitude for him and his vision of being able to work.

“If we work on your work with extraordinary love and special enthusiasm, the most significant reason for this lies in your personality itself. Your work radiates those positive values ​​that continually give us the strength to contribute, with iron skill and joyful hearts, to the development and expansion of your life’s work. You are a role model for us and will remain so.”

THE JENNERSDORF SITE IS BEING CREATED

In addition to production in Gütersloh, further locations followed in Germany, as well as in Jennersdorf, Austria, where the factory where VOSSEN still produces towels today was built in 1963. In the 1970s, his son Norbert Vossen took over the business. At its peak, the company employed around 3,500 people. In the mid-1990s, the success story came to a halt, as towels from Asia began to compete with local towels. On December 10, 1996, the company filed for bankruptcy. All locations except Jennersdorf were closed. On July 4, 1981, Burghardt Vossen died, shortly after turning 87. He was without a doubt one of the pioneers of the German textile industry, particularly the terry cloth industry. Burghardt Vossen was an extraordinary personality. He did not believe in dwelling on the past; looking back meant going backwards. We must look to the future, “panta rei,” which in ancient Greek means “everything is in flux, nothing is permanent,” was his motto.

“When I achieve something, I know that my life has meaning,” Burghardt Vossen once said.

INVENTION OF THE BATHROBE MADE OF TERRY TOWELLING

The year 1951 marked another milestone in the company’s history: Burghardt Vossen invented the house and bathrobe made of terry towelling and immediately applied for a patent for it – another success story that revolutionised the textile industry just as radically as Vossen’s terry towels before it. Up until then, dressing gowns were made of expensive silk and sometimes with elegant appliqués and were almost exclusively reserved for the “upper class” for reasons of cost.

‘WE CARE’ – SUSTAINABILITY CONCEPT

VOSSEN is always aware of its social responsibility. After all, being a pioneer in innovation also means taking responsibility for future generations. This is why all VOSSEN products are based on the specially developed “we care” sustainability concept, which centres on social responsibility towards people and the environment. In this way, we want to do our part for an even better future. Because we are convinced that as a lifestyle brand steeped in tradition, we are committed to all generations, from mothers to daughters, young to old. This consistency creates trust and security – and reinforces the good feeling that VOSSEN will continue to be there for many more generations for the next 100 years.

MARKET LEADER FOR TOWELLING PRODUCTS

This innovation finally made VOSSEN the market leader for towelling products in Europe and allowed the company to expand even faster. In addition to the production site in Gütersloh, numerous other locations in Germany were to follow, as well as one in Austria, where the plant in Jennersdorf in Burgenland was established in 1961. This also marked the start of VOSSEN’s impressive run of success in Austria, which continues to this day and was given an additional boost by the takeover of Linz Textil in 2004. Today, around 250 employees ensure that the VOSSEN brand actively lives up to its character as a premium brand.

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