Before 1958: Dräxlmaier family

Of shoes
and lederhosen

The history of the Dräxlmaier family begins far before the founding of the DRÄXLMAIER Group. Michael Dräxlmaier, the grandfather of company founder Fritz Dräxlmaier Sr., opened his own leather and shoe factory in 1875 on the banks of the Vils River in Geisenhausen.

The tannery quickly became a leather factory. And "Leather Factory" was the exact telegram address for the company. Shortly thereafter, an in-house sewing line was added.

Michael Dräxlmaier, his brother Peter and his son Sebastian were entrepreneurs with foresight and imagination. They acquired large machinery while generating the necessary energy with their own steam power plant.

The leather processing factory made Geisenhausen the industrial center of the Vilsbiburg region. Leather goods from the small community had an outstanding reputation all over Germany.

Under the brand name "Gisenia," the company manufactured work shoes, sports shoes and riding boots at the end of the 1920s. The Dräxlmaiers were tireless: In 1950, they market their traditional German leather knee pants, better known as lederhosen, under the brand name "Edelweiß."

Motorcycle helmets and clothing were also produced. The company had more than three-quarters of a century's experience in the production and processing of leather, enjoyed an outstanding reputation, yet stood just at the beginning of its journey.

How it all began

Of Goggos and forks