Ed Meier
Eduard Meier GmbH (known as "Ed Meier") is a German shoemaking company. Founded in Munich in 1596, it is the oldest existing shoemaking company in the world. Today, their headquarters and main store are situated at Palais Arco, Brienner Straße 10 in Munich.
 | |
| Type | GmbH |
|---|---|
| Genre | shoemaking company |
| Founded | 1596 |
| Founder | Hans Mayr |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Luxury shoes, clothes, leather goods and accessories |
| Owner | Peter Eduard and Brigitte Meier |
| Website | Ed Meier |
History
The company was founded by Hans Mayr and is first mentioned in 1596. Mayr was selling shoes primarily to the upper class. The company was purveyor to the Saxon royal house, the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and since 1895 also to the Bavarian royal house, holding a Royal Warrant.
Customers could get customized shoes "for every occasion and usage" by mail order. Mayr made wooden replicas of each customer's feet and stored them for at least 30 years so that customers could choose new shoes from an illustrated catalog.
At the beginning of the 20th century Wilhelm Eduard Meier expanded the offering with ready-made high-quality shoes. After World War II the company was rebuilt from ruins by Eduard Meier II who inherited it from his father. To maximize accuracy of fit Meier used a pedoscope to see feet inside shoes. The result of his examinations were his patent-registered "Peduform" shoes.
Today the company is led by siblings Peter Eduard and Brigitte Meier (13th generation). Besides shoes, their offering includes sports and classic style clothing, leather goods and accessories. In the city of Munich they can be delivered by horse-drawn carriage as in former times.
References
- Marita Krauss: Die königlich-bayerischen Hoflieferanten. Volk Verlag, München 2008, ISBN 978-3-937200-27-9.
- L. Zichner, M. Rauschmann, K.-D. Thomann: Geschichte konservativer Verfahren an den Bewegungsorganen (Deutsches Orthopädisches Geschichts- und Forschungsmuseum (Jahrbuch) Bd. 3). Steinkopff-Verlag, Darmstadt 2001, ISBN 978-3-7985-1267-2.
External links
- Official website of Eduard Meier GmbH
- The Royal Bavarian Purveyors to the Court, Simply Munich, 2018 – 2023.
- Ed.Meier Munich — Style with tradition, The Gentleman, Bernhard Roetzel's magazine, 2020.
- Ed.Meier Munich — Shop like a king, Simply Munich, 2018 – 2023.
- Ed.Meier Munich: "We need more common sense" — An interview with Peter Eduard Meier, The Gentleman, Bernhard Roetzel's magazine, 2020.
- Sartorial Notes — The Best Menswear Shopping that You Find in Munich. Torsten, April 25, 2018.
- Schuhschein — Von Schuhen und Ihren Liebhabern, 55min. HDV documentary film by Andi Niesner, 2006.