Vaude

Passion becomes a profession

The name Vaude comes from the initials "v.D." of the founder Albrecht von Dewitz. The enthusiastic mountaineer turned his passion into a profession in 1974 and with the foundation of Vaude he laid the groundwork for one of the leading mountaineering brands in Europe today. Since there was little specialized sports equipment available in the 70s, he recognized a great opportunity here.

After the company had distributed mountain sports equipment and produced its own backpacks in the early years, the new company premises in Obereisenbach near Tettnang on Lake Constance were built in 1980. This is where the popular "Made in Germany" products are still manufactured today. In 1992, the product range was then expanded with bicycle accessories and clothing, before functional bag and backpack collections were added in 1998 under the name Packs'n Bags.

In 2001 Vaude was the first sports goods manufacturer to decide to produce according to the ecological environmental standard bluesign®. Since 2002 the company is sponsor and official partner of the German Alpine Club. After 35 years Albrecht von Dewitz finally retired from the management in 2009. Since then his daughter Antje von Dewitz has been managing the family business.

Vaude is still strongly connected to its location in Tettnang, where a new manufactory was built in 2017. Around 500 people are employed here (status 2019). "We made a conscious decision to strengthen our production at the company headquarters and to invest in the new manufactory because it stands for our values, our roots and our core competence," says Antje von Dewitz.

Made in Germany - bags made from cow's milk

Vaude offers a very wide range of products. Under the three sections Mountain Sports, Bike Sports and Packs'n Bags, the range of products extends from outdoor clothing to shoes and camping accessories such as tents or camping mats. With its backpacks and bags Vaude can also score internationally. Made in Germany products are particularly popular here. From daypacks to travel backpacks, there are the right bags for every occasion, which have been produced in the company's own factory in southern Germany since 1980. The bags are padded with QMilk felt, in which cow's milk fibres are processed. Only milk is used for this, which may no longer be used as food and would otherwise have to be disposed of.

(Photos: Vaude)