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Endpoint: Étienne Aigner (Brand)



09:14
Videos (6)
created on: 7/10/2026
by: Lo55o (14782)
 
 

Brand properties

General info :
Étienne Aigner is the eponymous brand name founded by Étienne Aigner (November 8, 1904 – November 5, 2000) and used by Etienne Aigner AG, based in Munich, Germany.
The brand name was later shortened to Aigner.
The company produces luxury goods including handbags, shoes, women's ready-to-wear, wallets, and leather accessories.

The company was founded in Munich in 1965 as Etienne Aigner GmbH, after a German businessman reached a licensing agreement for the worldwide market – excluding the USA and Canada – with Etienne Aigner , a Hungarian - American fashion and accessories designer then based in New York City . In 2022, Etienne Aigner AG acquired the trademark rights for North and South America, giving the company worldwide trademark rights for the Aigner brand, excluding cosmetics and perfume rights.

In 1965, Etienne Aigner sold the name "Aigner," including the logo and all rights for the worldwide market—with the exception of North and South America—to Munich-based sales representative Heiner Rankl (1921–1995) from Landsberg am Lech , who founded Etienne Aigner GmbH & Co. Leathergoods KG in Munich. Rankl had discovered the brand in Canada in 1962 and began importing Etienne Aigner products in the 1960s. After acquiring the license, he modified the products for the European market in consultation with Etienne Aigner himself. Since 2022, the worldwide trademark rights have been held by Etienne Aigner AG of Munich. Previously, in 1967, Etienne Aigner had sold Etienne Aigner, Inc. to US investors (Jonathan Logan).

In 1972, at the initiative of the German Aigner division, Etienne Aigner Italy Srl was founded in Milan , responsible for leather production, and the product range was expanded to include luggage and shoes. In 1973, the brand was internationalized and a franchise system with retail stores was introduced. Fashion accessories such as scarves and ties were launched in 1974. That same year, the company established the Etienne Aigner Race Day ("The Royal Ascot in Munich"), an annual sporting event with a charitable focus. Guests included Uschi Glas , Pierre Brice , and Gina Lollobrigida , as well as racing driver Clay Regazzoni , who was sponsored by Aigner. Annual sales reached DM 40 million in 1975.
Also in 1975, the company entered the cosmetics market with the fragrance "Etienne Aigner No. 1." In 1978, Aigner presented its first fashion collection "for sporty elegance for men and women."
The company was converted into a public limited company in 1979. Sales reached DM 103 million in 1980 and DM 183 million in 1984. Aigner launched its watch and fashion jewelry line in 1982.

In 1988, the license for perfume and cosmetics was sold to the American Fabergé Group ( Elizabeth Arden ). Today, the license is held by the Spanish perfume manufacturer Puig. Women's and men's fashion were licensed in 1990. The women's fashion license was held until 2012 by the Italian company Sabatini SpA from Pecoli near Pisa (after having previously been granted to Gerry Weber and briefly to the now-insolvent Mariella Burani Group), while the men's fashion license was held by Dressler/Bugatti from 1993.

In 2007, there were approximately 140 Aigner stores worldwide; by 2011, this number had decreased to around 90. The brand is represented in nearly 50 countries worldwide with approximately 450 other points of sale, with 50% of sales generated in German-speaking countries. An online shop was launched on the company website in 2011.

In 2019, Aigner's headquarters moved within Munich, from Sendling-Westpark to Zielstattstraße in Obersendling.

In 2022, the trademark rights for South and North America were acquired.

Étienne (István) Aigner was born in Érsekújvár, Kingdom of Hungary, in 1904 (now Nové Zámky, Slovakia). Aigner was at first a bookbinder; in the 1930s he, together with his brother Lucien, who worked as a photo journalist, moved to Paris where he, at first, continued this profession.

Shortly after the Second World War, he began creating custom-made high-end leather goods for a number of haute couture (high fashion) boutiques in Paris. Aigner established himself designing handbags and belts for the European fashion elite, attracting the attention of high end fashion brands, such as Dior, who ended up buying and using several designs of his

In 1950, after successful apprenticeships with designers Christian Dior and Cristóbal Balenciaga, Aigner moved from Paris to New York City with plans to launch his brand in the new burgeoning American market.

As was the case in Paris, Aigner's designs quickly began to attract the attention of high-end department stores across the country.

Etienne Aigner died in New York on November 5, 2000, at the age of 95, three days before his 96th birthday.
Relations :
Founded by : Étienne Aigner 2
This endpoint is new to the database, please check he (it) is not in with a similar endpoint name association (and use the ENA function if necessary).
Brand name used by [1979 -] : Etienne Aigner AG
This endpoint is new to the database, please check he (it) is not in with a similar endpoint name association (and use the ENA function if necessary).
Brand name used by [1965 -] : Etienne Aigner GmbH & Co. Leathergoods KG
This endpoint is new to the database, please check he (it) is not in with a similar endpoint name association (and use the ENA function if necessary).
Brand name used by [1965 - 1979] : Etienne Aigner GmbH
This endpoint is new to the database, please check he (it) is not in with a similar endpoint name association (and use the ENA function if necessary).
Brand name used by [1972 -] : Etienne Aigner Italy SRL
This endpoint is new to the database, please check he (it) is not in with a similar endpoint name association (and use the ENA function if necessary).
Brand name used by [1967 -] : Etienne Aigner, Inc.
This endpoint is new to the database, please check he (it) is not in with a similar endpoint name association (and use the ENA function if necessary).
Renamed to : Aigner
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Item number : 73532

Submitted by : Lo55o (14782)
on : 07/10/2026