Closed GmbH

Closed GmbH
Industry fashion
Key people
 Gordon Giers (CEO)
Products jeans and other clothes
Production output
 invented the stonewash-procedure
Number of employees
 140 (2009)

Closed GmbH is a German fashion brand which produces jeans and other clothes[1] since 1978.

Product range

Four times a year, the main collections for women and men are released. The programme is completed by a small kid’s collection, a cashmere collection, shoes, and accessories.

Company History

The company was founded in 1975 in France by Marithé and François Girbaud under the name “Ca”. Shortly afterwards a preliminary injunction by C&A who felt their trademark rights violated, put an end to Ca. For the duration of the trial they presented their collections under the file’s name: 11342. When the file was finally closed in 1978, they changed the name to CLOSED. Today, the company is based in Hamburg and has three directing managers: Gordon Giers, Til Nadler, and Hans Redlefsen. In 2009, Closed GmbH has 140 members of staff. Besides in Germany, Closed products are available mostly in Italy, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, Russia, and the USA.

By inventing the stonewash-procedure, Closed hit the high mark in the 1980s and conquered the denim market. The new x-pocket shape created the unique Closed-look. In 1978, the company launched the legendary Pedal Pusher on the market. Up to now the popularity of this jeans continues, more than 30 million Pedal Pusher have been sold until today.[2] One of their advertising campaigns featured TV ads directed by Jean-Luc Godard.

At the beginning of the 1990s, Hamburg business partners Günther Giers and Hans-Joachim Leplow purchased the company and sold it in 2004 together with the brand to Günther Giers’ son Gordon and his business partners Til Nadler and Hans Redlefsen. They restructured the company and extended the collections.

In 2009, managing directors Giers, Nadler, and Redlefsen have received the award “Hamburger Unternehmer des Jahres” (entrepreneur of the year) by the marketing boards “Die Familienunternehmer – ASU” and “Die jungen Unternehmer – BJU”.[3]

In 2012, Kostas Murkudis was appointed creative director of casualwear "and help raise Closed’s profile internationally".[1] As of November 2013, Murkudis is now longer with Closed due to creative differences.[1]

Closed is today available in Europe and America and has more than 35 of its own stores.

Gordon Giers is chief executive officer.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Quinto, Norma (21 November 2013). "Kostas Murkudis Exiting German Brand Closed". WWD. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  2. ↑ Artikel in Welt Online vom 20. November 2009
  3. ↑ Artikel in Welt Online vom 24. Juni 2009

External links