| HEADWEAR
SINCE 1862 |
Details:
Mag. Barbara Habig; Mafed
(born 1975 in Vienna - Austria) Entirely dedicated to luxurious
high fashion, fine arts as well as Italian, French and Austrian
design after earning a master's degree (MAFED; SDA Bocconi Milan,
Italy) as well as a degree at the Vienna University of Economics
and Business Administration in Austria.
Barbara Habig is launching her new line of high-end hats in 2006
after having gained extensive experience while working with internationally
renowned high fashion designers. |
| 141
years of hat wear… Habig hats looks back on a long tradition
of excellence |
The
Habig family is originally from Freiburg and its family history
goes back to
the year 1550. Peter Habig moved to Vienna in 1853. He served
his 5-year-apprenticeship as
a hat maker and became a journeyman. From 1865 onwards, his brother
Carl assisted him in
the workshop, where they exclusively manufactured silk hats as
well as the then much soughtafter
“Chemisse Galett” hats.
It was at that time that they made their fi rst humble attempts
of manufacturing felt
hats. Winning a gold medal at the international exhibit in Kassel
in 1870 was the fi rst step
towards internationalisation for the newly established company
“P. u. C. Habig” (“P. and
C. Habig”). Having been honoured with the sought-after “Hors
concours Juror“ at the Vienna
World Exposition was an important turning point in their career
and eventually brought about
the establishment of Habig as an international brand.
In 1874, P. and C. Habig opened an exclusive retail store located
in downtown
Vienna (Kärntner Strasse). In 1882, a new building was added
to the former workshop located
on Wiedner Hauptstrasse. The new and modern factory was equipped
with the latest technology,
allowing the staff to meet all export orders from Germany and
overseas. A particularly
exclusive branch opened in 1888 in downtown Berlin (Friedrichstrasse).
This complex was well positioned and equipped to meet all requirements
ahead
and included a state-of-the-art factory as well as living. “Kommerzialrat”
Peter Habig was the founder of the Austrian Hat Makers’
Society and also played a major role in the Austrian Hat
Fashion Association as well as the Vienna Hat Makers’ Co-operative.
He served as president
of international exhibit committees on several occasions.
Being socially inclined, he was the fi rst to offer loyalty bonuses
to workers of
more than 20 years’ seniority in his business. In addition
to that he also rewarded especially
hard working apprentices. He was appointed as a member of the
arbitration committee of the
Industrial Association of Lower Austria. He personally provided
funds for a demonstration hat
maker’s workshop at the Vienna Technical Museum. Peter Habig,
who had been awarded many
decorations, was among the fi rst to establish a renowned Viennese
fashion scene. He was one
of the pioneers of the Austrian clothing industry. He passed away
on January 4,
1916, in Vienna.
The company was deeply affected by the aftermath of World War
I - infl ation and
a generally bad economic situation - and could not keep its core
staff of workers, despite all
efforts.
At the beginning of World War II, the company’s production
was reduced to a
minimum due to the scarcity of raw materials and the lack of workers.
After the end of World War II P. and C. Habig were among the fi
rst to start manufacturing
hats made from old stock, selling them in exchange for ration
cards and clothing
cards. The main business activity back then, which was an important
factor in keeping the company afl oat, was the mending of old
hats.
After the retail shop in downtown Vienna (Kärtnerstrasse)
was sold, Carl F.
Habig, born in 1942, became the sole director of the company on
March 20, 1969. He was
the fourth family member in a row to hold this position. It was
time to modernize the company
and to streamline the production process. Extensive international
travel in 1971 and 1972
and arduous work was required to fi nally fi nd new distributors
and importers, thus opening up
new markets.
Excerpt of: Die Staatswappenträger Österreichs; Jupiter
Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Wien 1978
In 2006 Barbara Habig (daughter of Carl F. Habig) is launching
a new line of
luxury hats. A mixture of exclusive, extraordinary materials is
signifi cant for the exquisite hat
collection. |
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