Merz b. Schwanen

Originally, Merz b. Schwanen was founded by Balthasar Merz as "Balthasar Merz beim Schwanen" on the Swabian Alps in 1911 and remained a family owned business until 2008.^[1]

Globalization processes dominated the following decades of the 20th century, which caused a decline of the German textile industry because of both, foreign companies and domestic companies, that outsourced parts of their value chain to low-wage countries. Eventually Balthasar Merz beim Schwanen could not keep up with those companies and was forced to close its gates in 2008 due to a lack of orders.^[2]

After finding an original Balthasar Merz beim Schwanen Henley shirt at a flea market in Berlin, menswear designer Peter Plotnicki and his wife Gitta teamed up with one of the last remaining textile factories in Albstadt, a small town on the Swabian Jura.^[3] After reevaluating the traditional way of production by using the same old loopwheelers^[4] and receiving the rights to utilize the name "Merz b. Schwanen" from descendants of Balthasar Merz, the brand made was relaunched in 2011.^[5] The first Menswear collection was shown at the Bread & Butter (tradeshow) tradeshow in January 2011 in Berlin.^[6] All products are designed by Peter and Gitta Plotnicki in Berlin, where the company´s headquarter is based. The production is still located in Albstadt.^[7] Since its release, Merz b. Schwanen is sold in more than 35 countries.^[4]

The brand has been collaborating with brands and designers like Nigel Cabourn,^[8] Junya Watanabe,^[9] Rowing Blazers^[10] and Monocle^[11]

The company produces T-shirts,^[6] Henley shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, undergarments^[12] and socks^[13] for men and women with styles referencing vintage workwear and sportswear to contemporary garments.^[14] The shirts have been praised by fashion insiders such as Nick Carvell from British GQ as one of the most comfortable, as well as best-looking shirts, one will own.^[12]

Most garments are made of 100% organic cotton from Greece^[2] without chemical finishings, with different thicknesses or alternatively of cotton blends with Viscose or Merino wool.^[14]

Another characteristic of Merz b. Schwanen garments is the woven label which is manufactured with a hand-made punch cards on historical looms from the 19th century.

In 2025, Merz b. Schwanen signed a brand letter of intent calling on the Australian wool industry to end the practice of mulesing.^[15]