Kniže & Comp.
| Kniže & Comp. "CM Frank" GmbH
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| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 1858 |
| Seat | Vienna |
| management | Rudolf Niedersüß |
| Branch | Men's dressmakers, laundry goods manufacturers, clothing and textile retailers, perfumery retailers |
| Website | www.knize.at |
Kniže & Comp. is a famous men's outfitter from Vienna and has been the world's first men's fashion brand since the 1920s. The first men's fragrance series " Knize Ten " was also created by the traditional company.
history
Kniže was founded in 1858 by the Bohemian tailor Josef Kniže (pronounced "Knische"). He specialized in the production of sportswear, equestrian clothing and liveries. After his death in 1880, his son Josef jun. Took over. (1851–1888) ran the shop with Johann Kallina, which at that time was still Am Hof 3. Due to debts, however, the employment relationship with Kallina was soon terminated. In 1885, Albert Wolff, from Neumarkt in Pomerania, joined the company and was able to save the finances again.
In 1873 Kniže was awarded the "Progress Medal" at the Vienna World Exhibition . From 1874 he was allowed to use the Persian and Ottoman court titles. With success he was able to hire more workers; At that time he had 15 assistants, numerous piece masters and two cutters. He ousted English sportswear from the Austrian market and was even able to export. His customers included the Dukes of Mecklenburg and Oldenburg, Prince Liechtenstein and the Jockey Club .
In 1886 Kniže applied for the title of purveyor to the Viennese court, but was refused. It was not until 1888 that Kniže received the title of " kk Hof-Schneider ". Josef Kniže died in the same year, Albert Wolff became the sole owner. After his death in 1902, his widow Gisela took over the business with her four children Anna, Auguste, Fritz and Susanna. From 1904 the company was called Kniže & Comp. Since the court title was personal, she had to apply again for the title and pay the tax.
The creative birth of the traditional brand took place in the era of the Belle Époque . In 1910–1913, today's business premises on Graben 13, one of the most famous Viennese shopping streets in downtown Vienna , were designed by the architect Adolf Loos and have remained almost unchanged to this day. Loos also designed the branch in Karlsbad (1921), the shop on Wilhelmstrasse in Berlin (1924) and the branch on Champs-Elysees 149 in Paris (1927–1928). The branch in Prague was designed by his colleague Heinrich Kulka .
In his work " Wittgenstein's Neffe ", Thomas Bernhard describes a scene in Karlsbad when Paul Wittgenstein had two tailcoats made for him at Kniže.
Kniže & Comp. so was very successful in his field. In 1915 a lingerie production and from 1922 a retail trade for men was introduced. In 1922 the Wolff family was able to win Ernst Dryden as an advertising consultant. With his help, Kniže became one of the top addresses in the fashion world. He transferred the image of the game of polo to the Kniže Ten products , an exclusive range of toiletries for men. The number 10 is the highest handicap in polo.
Another branch was opened in Bad Gastein in 1937 .
In 1935 the Wolff family changed the company to Wolff-Knize. Due to their Jewish ancestry they had to Austria in 1938 with the connection left to the German Reich. They emigrated first to Paris, then to New York. Once there, the name was completely changed to Knize. In 1941, the Kniže opened a shop on 56th Street in New York. Old customers who also had to emigrate formed the regular clientele again and remained loyal to the company.
In the meantime, the Viennese company was run by the employees as Kniže & Co. limited partnership from 1939 to 1945 . The Second World War brought heavy losses and the shop on Wilhelmstrasse in Berlin was destroyed.
In the post-war period Kniže lost the branches in Karlovy Vary and Prague due to the Iron Curtain .
In 1972 the Paris branch had to be closed, in 1974 the branch in New York. From 1976 the former trainee Rudolf Niedersüß from Upper Austria took part in the company. In 1978 his company CM Frank , also a former supplier to the Imperial and Royal Court, merged with Kniže & Comp. A women's collection was introduced.
In 1984 Kniže opened a shop for men's clothing on Bräunerstraße , and in 1989 the shop on Graben was expanded.
From 1992 to 1993 the architect and designer Professor Paolo Piva renovated the first floor and the historic Loos salons. The neighboring former bookstore Krey has been adapted to the new women's shop. At the same time, the eldest son, Bernhard Niedersüß, joined the company. In 2012 another branch was opened in Prague.
Famous customers
In the past, artists in particular were customers of Kniže. Oskar Kokoschka paid for his suits with paintings, blouses were made for Marilyn Monroe , shirts for Kurt Tucholsky , and ski pants for Josephine Baker . Also Marlene Dietrich sat at Kníže tailcoats for their stage shows tailored, and Billy Wilder visited the house during his last stay in Vienna for an extended visit. Georgia O'Keeffe had her pant suits tailored in a New York store . Customers were also Maurice Chevalier as well as Laurence Olivier , Willi Forst and Fritz Lang as well as primarily business leaders and aristocrats like King Juan Carlos of Spain. The Nazi Gauleiter of Vienna, Baldur von Schirach , was also a customer of the house.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Roland Mischke: The Kaiser was a customer here. Handelsblatt, July 12, 2003, accessed February 4, 2009 .
- ↑ Georgia O'Keeffe, Stylist and Curator of Her Own Myth , The New York Times, March 2, 2017, accessed March 3, 2017
- ↑ Albert Speer: Spandau Diaries . Berlin, Propylaen Verlag, 2002, p. 643.
literature
- Reinhard Engel: Luxury from Vienna I. Czernin Verlag, Vienna 2001. ISBN 3-7076-0121-8
- Ingrid Haslinger: Customer - Kaiser. The story of the former imperial and royal purveyors . Schroll, Vienna 1996, ISBN 3-85202-129-4 .
- János Kalmár, Mella Waldstein: KuK purveyors to Vienna's court . Stocker, Graz 2001, ISBN 3-7020-0935-3 . Pp. 114-119.
- Oswald M. Klotz: Discretion is a tailor-made matter. Knize and Frank: reflection of old times . In: The press . Imperial and Royal Court Suppliers today (IV) / 7. January 1977.
- Anna Maria Wallner: Please try on: bespoke suits from Knize. Die Presse, October 3, 2008, accessed on March 23, 2009 (The Viennese men's outfitter Knize is 150 years old. A good reason to think about the tailor-made suit, the rivalry between Italians and the British and the role of James Bond.).
- Anna Maria Wallner: Knize: Menopause of a men's tailor. Die Presse, October 19, 2008, accessed on March 23, 2009 (The men's outfitter Knize is celebrating its birthday at the beginning of November. Owner Rudolf Niedersüß still values values such as tradition and quality, but worries about the future of the house.).
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 12 ′ 30.6 ″ N , 16 ° 22 ′ 11 ″ E