Triumph
Triumph International (Spiesshofer and Braun families) · Germany
Triumph is a lingerie brand founded in 1886 as a corset maker in Heubach, Germany, and owned by Triumph International, a private company of the founding Spiesshofer and Braun families headquartered in Bad Zurzach, Switzerland. Together with sloggi it is one of the largest underwear groups in the world.
| Founded | 1886, Heubach, Germany |
|---|---|
| Founders | Johann Gottfried Spiesshofer, Michael Braun |
| Owner | Spiesshofer and Braun families |
| Headquarters | Bad Zurzach, Switzerland |
| Sister brand | sloggi |
| Segment | Lingerie and underwear |
| Website | triumph.com |
What is Triumph?
Triumph is an international lingerie and underwear brand owned by Triumph International, a family business headquartered in Bad Zurzach, Switzerland. The group's portfolio is led by Triumph and the cotton underwear brand sloggi, alongside the Triaction sports bra line. Since 2011 the company has been wholly owned by the Spiesshofer and Braun families.
History
Johann Gottfried Spiesshofer and Michael Braun founded a corset factory in Heubach in southern Germany in 1886. The company moved into bras in the 1920s and 1930s and expanded internationally after the Second World War, building factories and sales companies in Europe and Asia. Sloggi, a cotton underwear line, was launched in the late 1970s. The headquarters moved to Switzerland in 1977.
In 2011 the families bought out minority shareholders, and the German unit's shares ceased trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The group has streamlined its portfolio since, selling the men's underwear brand HOM in 2015 and BeeDees in 2017, and closing standalone UK stores in 2017 in favour of online sales and department store concessions.
Products and positioning
Triumph sits in the mid-market, focusing on fit and support. Its range includes:
- Bras and briefs, including lines such as Amourette and Love in Lace
- Shapewear and sleep and loungewear
- Triaction sports bras
- Swimwear
- sloggi cotton basics as a separate brand
Business model and distribution
Triumph uses a mix of channels. At the end of 2017 the group reported 3,600 controlled points of sale in 120 countries and around 40,000 retail trade partners, along with several online shops. It also operates a franchise programme and its own country websites, and it has worked with platforms such as Zalando on dedicated collections. As a private company it does not regularly publish detailed financial results.
Why it matters
Triumph is one of the oldest and largest family-owned lingerie companies and a major supplier to European department stores and specialist lingerie retailers. Its shift from wholesale towards controlled retail and online channels reflects wider changes in the intimate apparel market.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Triumph lingerie?
Triumph is owned by Triumph International, a private company wholly owned by the founding Spiesshofer and Braun families since 2011. The group also owns the sloggi underwear brand.
Is Triumph a Swiss or German brand?
Triumph was founded in 1886 in Heubach, Germany, but its parent company Triumph International has been headquartered in Bad Zurzach, Switzerland, since 1977. It is therefore a German-founded brand run from Switzerland.