About shoes and lederhosen
The history of the Dräxlmaier family’s history began well 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. Shortly thereafter, an in-house sewing line was added.
Foresight and ingenuity
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. Thanks to the leather processing factory, Geisenhausen became the industrial center of the Vilsbiburg region’s industrial sector. Leather goods from the small community quickly gained an outstanding reputation all over Germany.
Own brands
Operating under the brand name “Gisenia”, the company produced heavy-duty footwear for workers, sneakers, as well as equestrian boots. In 1950, the Dräxlmaiers started marketing their traditional German leather knee pants, better known as lederhosen, under the brand name “Edelweiß”.
First successes
Motorcycle helmets and clothing were also being produced. Backed by more than 75 years of leather manufacturing and processing experience as well as an excellent reputation, the company was only getting started.
