Merz b. Schwanen Produces Authentic Loopwheeled Sweaters

The Start Of The Merz b. Schwanen Brand In Germany

The Merz b. Schwanen brand has a long history as it goes back to 1911 when Balthasar Merz started a textile factory on the Swabian Alb in Germany. Exactly a century later in 2011, Gitta and Peter Plotnicki, life- and business partners based in Berlin, re-established the brand after the descendants of the founder had shut down the production. It was an over-90-year-old henley of the former brand that caught the couple’s eyes at a flea market in Berlin.

The two visited the Swabian Albs to meet with textile manufacturer Rudolf Loder. They surprised them with 32 loop wheelers that originated from the 1889s to the 1960s. They were unused and covered with dust. These original loop wheel machines still produce the fabric for their ‘Good Originals’, which are highlighted in this article.

  ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​       Wouter Munnichs • Long John