Etienne Aigner AG is a luxury accessories house based in Munich, Germany. Founded by Etienne Aigner in 1949, the brand is known around the world for its quality and craftsmanship in bags, wallets and accessories, and for its signature dark red leather that echoes the color of fine chianti.
Etienne Aigner was born in Hungary in 1904, and began his career as a bookbinder in Paris, 1926. His skill with leather became well-known and he gradually transitioned from bookbinding to crafting high-quality bags and belts for such top designers as Christian Dior. Sensing an opportunity, Aigner moved to New York in 1949 and began offering his handcrafted leather items out of his apartment. Mandy goods were produced in the dark red color, which was all he could afford at the time. That unique red shade would become his signature as much as the "A" logo that would eventually adorn his articles.
By 1959, Aigner opened his first showroom on 5th Avenue. His innovative pairing of leather with other textiles—straw, linen, fishnet&mash; made his handbags a "must-have" accessory for stylsh women of the 1950s. Soon, he was flooded with orders from high-end retailers around the world.
The brand's logo—a letter "A" stylized as a horseshoe—reflects the ongoing influence of equestrian themes in the collection.
By 1965, Aigner licensed his product to a German business man, Heiner H. Rankl, and the global business of Etienne Aigner was moving ahead at full steam.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Etienne Aigner added to its product offerings such items as silk scarves, men's and women's clothing, watches, jewelry and fragrances.
Designer Etienne Aigner passed away in 2000, at the age of 95. The company continues its international offering of bags and small leather goods, and opened a flagship store in Munich in 2002. Today, the company's products, are available in 49 countries globally and more than 438 retail stores.
The company's first fragrances, both for men, were introduced in 1975. Many Etienne Aigner fragrances feature of the past featured a leather note or a leather/suede theme in the name and packaging. The company is taking a more modern direction with its newest fragrance, 2011's Revolutionary. Fragrances today are offered in conjunction with Spanish perfume company Puig.
