Vaude founder honoured at OutDoor
12/07/2013
Albrecht von Dewitz grew up as one of seven children in northern Germany. After completing an apprenticeship as an export merchant in Bremen, he studied business administration in Wilhelmshaven. As the head of the export department in a sporting goods company, later moving to become managing director of a sports equipment manufacturing company on Lake Constance in the south-west of the country. In 1974, the mountaineering enthusiast made his hobby his career and, without investing any capital of his own, founded Vaude in the nearby town of Tettnang.
It was his goal from the beginning to establish Vaude as a full-range supplier and to offer all the products for the outdoor sector from a single source. He began with climbing hardware and a backpack collection, followed later by clothing, sleeping bags, tents and footwear. Special collections for cycling and water sports came later.
Vaude set up its own recycling network as long ago as 1994 and it was the first sporting goods manufacturer to adopt bluesign standards for its textiles. Albrecht von Dewitz handed on the running of the company to his middle daughter, Antje von Dewitz, in 2006.
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