Interview with Mr Jan Rosenberg

The corset-maker, Johann Gottfried Spiesshofer, and the businessman, Michael Braun, set up the Spiesshofer & Braun corset factory. With six sewing machines and a staff of six they start producing corsetry in a barn. The location: Heubach in Wuerttemberg, Germany. The company expands rapidly in the heyday of the German corset industry: by 1890 the staff already numbers 150. In 1894 the first supply agreement for export is signed and the company starts exporting to England.

Spiesshofer and Braun recognise the need for a memorable trademark – one that is equally understandable in every country. The exciting idea comes to Johann Gottfried Spiesshofer when he sees the Arc de Triomphe in Paris – “Triumph” becomes the trademark. The company develops new export markets and quickly achieves the position of the leading manufacturer of undergarments in Europe.

The foundation stone is laid for international expansion: the firm fits out its first branch abroad in Bad Zurzach, Switzerland. 44 years later the worldwide holding of Triumph International will develop from it. In the Thirties, Triumph grows to become Europe’s largest corsetry manufacturer and in 1936, the year of the Berlin Olympics, the company proudly celebrates its 50th birthday.

Triumph introduces very stylish lingerie fashion shows - for the first time the models do not wear leotards under the garments but march past with the lingerie on their bare skin. “More fashion for underwear” is the message in 1957 at the first Triumph Show in London’s Royal Albert Hall. The next show follows at the international cotton fair in Cairo in 1958, and in 1959 the Berlin Hilton hosts the largest lingerie fashion show ever held up to that time: a presentation to 200 journalists from 16 countries.

Triumph International expands into Asia and opens a branch in Hong Kong in 1960. Over the next decades this is followed by Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and India (2001). The company has already developed to become one of the three top manufacturers in Japan by the mid-Sixties. New branches are opening in Europe too: in Spain, Greece, France and Portugal. In 1965, Triumph International is marketing its products in 92 countries.

Triumph rings in the Seventies with the largest fashion show ever held up to that time. It becomes a spectacular fashion journey over a 25,000 km route: the glamorous “Triumph 70 Show” takes its models on tour through Europe and Asia.

Triumph International celebrates the company’s 100th anniversary. In its centenary year, the Triumph Group employs a staff of 19,000 all over the world and its total turnover amounts to more than 996 million Swiss francs.

The Indian involvement is increased considerably, with sales offices being set up in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore. These are followed in 2003 by a branch in Kolkatta. Today, Triumph produces in 2 PCs in India: The first one was opened in 1998, the second started production in April 2008; the latter is fully owned and operated by Triumph. Both PCs are on the outskirts of Chennai. Furthermore, Triumph India will open 30 stores by the end of the year which will be operated by franchise partners.

A new, contemporary Triumph logo is at the heart of a corporate design that has been renewed in every respect, providing Triumph with an even more direct approach to its consumers. Their needs and desires are the central focus of all the company’s activities. The same strategy of ongoing investment in innovations and in maintaining the legendary quality and fit of all products is also applied to communication. The current Triumph advertising campaign, photographed by Peter Gehrke from Sweden, shows the Triumph woman as self-assured and natural in situations that are true to life. Triumph finds inspiration for its creations not only from within the company: the “Triumph Inspiration Award” was brought to life so that young, hopeful talents would also have a chance of making a name for themselves in the fashion industry. The prize is awarded to talented up-and-coming designers from around the world – and so ensures a creative dialogue between the company and young, creative consumers. And finally, emotional brand retention is also achieved via the Triumph Stores that serve not only as a showcase for the products but also, most importantly, encourage personal contact with our target groups.

Of course underwear evolved from being not-talked about, exclusively functional items to items of fashion and inspiration, but I believe the most important trend is the direct interaction with the consumer. Of course the products have always been designed and crafted with consumers in mind, but until recent times, the distribution focus of underwear manufacturers was mostly oriented towards their wholesale customers. Today, many more activities revolve around the consumer herself as we have moved from a seller’s to a consumer’s market. Triumph today does not only produce fashionable, enchanting lingerie but creates retail environments through the Triumph Stores that make lingerie shopping entertaining, comfortable and relaxing.

Today’s market is a consumer’s market. Consumers rightly do not only expect fashionable products in excellent quality for their money, but they also expect a pleasant shopping experience to go with it. Owned and operated (o&o) retail offers manufacturers the opportunity to really showcase their brands, present their product in the way it should be and create an emotional experience for consumers.

Triumph has the privilege to work together successfully with approx. 40,000 retail trade customers all across the world. Along with our franchise and partner stores, our o&o retail business (altogether 1,620 branches to date) offers us the opportunity to complete our offer by presenting our entire collections under one roof in selected locations.

I believe that in the long run name brand manufacturers and dealers will need to rely on combination of distribution channels to reach as many target consumers as possible. Depending on market habits and consumer trends, a constant evaluation has to take place: will we reach that trend-hungry 19 year-old better in a large department store with many other top brands or in a chic mono label boutique? This question cannot be answered in a general way, it may differ from market to market.

Changes in ownership: Manager-run corporations may change their strategic direction more frequently than for example a family run business like Triumph. Being family owned Triumph is in the lucky position of being able to determine its strategic outlook in longer terms.

Successful brand manufacturers clearly need to be top notch both with regard to the quality and target group suitability of their designs and the strength and attractiveness of their brands. Without that, there’s only short-term marketing activities that can trigger economic success – which is often short lived and does not contribute to a sustainable positive image. Whether a brand manufacturer also wants to be a retailer is a matter of choice – as discussed above, Triumph is convinced that we will reach even broader consumer groups with a combination of Triumph Stores and traditional retail. But there are other manufacturers that have good reasons to refrain from branded stores of their own.

There is no “best concept”, but I am convinced that a company that has an excellent product and a clear target group in mind is well equipped to be successful in the market – albeit with a distribution concept that best fits their brand characteristics and target group.

Consumers’ desires and wishes are at the heart of each product innovation at Triumph. Intensive consumer research reveals tendencies that we share with our design, development and textile engineering teams across markets. Once they present us product or material innovations, we fine-tune and perfect our approaches. Prototype testing/ fittings finalize the product development process.

The next sloggi spring/ summer collection (2009) will see a true product innovation: With sloggi Light Cotton, sloggi links onto the exceptional success of the Hot Hips concept by presenting this popular cut in a brand new material mix using 91 per cent cotton, thus appealing to a whole new target group of women who prefer to wear cotton on their skin. The extremely high-quality woven cotton fabric provides a wonderful, natural wearer comfort. An unbelievable 50 stitches per inch ensure a smooth texture that is opaque at the same time. Even after frequent laundering, material pilling is near to impossible. The extremely light bras, strings, tangas, hipsters and shorts are produced using Lasercut technology. They sit snug on the body, like a second skin, and create a natural silhouette.

We have love brands which are relevant to our consumer. She and he know that our products excel in quality, fit and design, a reputation Triumph has earned in the 120 years of its existence. We work with our own design teams in Europe and Asia in order to ensure that the latest trends in lifestyle and fashion are reflected by our collections. Textile engineers ensure that our materials and the production is always state of the art, often way ahead from our competitors. External professionals such as Class A athletes Anni Friesinger (German speed skater) or Emma Snowsill (Australian triathlon athlete) help us to continuously improve our Triaction sports products, for example. Triumph stands for immaculate quality and outstanding craftsmanship and we never stop to be interested in learning

The Triumph Inspiration Award triggers fruitful interaction between the fashion house Triumph and young up-and-coming fashion designers from all over the world. This campaign integrates our great fashion expertise and supports young hopefuls: A commercial adaption of the winning design will be produced in a Limited Edition and sold in our own Stores. The winner will also get the opportunity to do a training in one of our design centres. These are activities that make a brand alive, something unachievable for retail brands.

As a global company we act responsibly with respect to our environment. And the application of ecological standards often turns out to be a source of innovation, both in the products themselves and in the manufacturing process. This is why we are constantly testing our environmental protection measures and rapidly implementing any new findings we make. Numerous programmes integrate studies of environmental compatibility as well as the separation and recycling of waste, and we are also constantly looking into how we can make do with less packaging material. We also implement energy-saving concepts at all Triumph International locations in order to reduce CO2 emissions. As early as 2003, we were given the prestigious German B.A.U.M. Environmental Award for our many years of consistent commitment to environmental and consumer protection issues.

We also offer our consumers the chance to wear their environmental awareness on their skin. We use the latest, ecologically certified materials for our collections. In addition, this year, the Triumph brand is presenting the first lingerie collection in biodegradable elastane. There is also a sloggi range in which the fabric has not only been medically tested for body compatibility and freedom from pollutants but is also manufactured from certified organic cotton.