Lingerie for the modern woman

Karl Conzelmann GmbH + Co KG is the textile company situated in south-western Germany that has created its lingerie brand Nina von C. Marco Siebel spoke with managing director Mathias Conzelmann, one of the company’s founder’s grandsons.

Mathias Conzelmann currently runs the family business from the southwestern town of Albstadt, between Stuttgart and Lake Constance, together with his cousin Doris, brother Ulrich and sister Martina, after whom the line Nina von C. was named.

Mathias Conzelmann said, “Our father Walter held the leading management role in the company from 1953 and still contributes his full energy, extensive textile experience and technical expertise for support on all levels. How we got the brand name ‘Nina von C.’? Our youngest sister, when she was still a small child, had difficulties pronouncing our elder sister’s name Martina, calling her Nina instead. Nina pronounces well in any language, so we decided to use Martina’s short name, and it works very well.” A winning brand

The company was founded in 1920 by Mathias’ grandfather Karl Conzelmann, a successful entrepreneur, whose creativity and drive for constant innovation led the company to success. These principles have guided the company through almost an entire century, with constantly changing and challenging collections to show.

Starting with the year 2000 the company began to sell the Nina von C. brand to selected retail partners in major German cities: Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main. Nina von C. became more and more visible, and by 2005, brand awareness had already reached 18 per cent. Whereas before, women looked to lingerie for the feeling and security of just being well dressed, today it has also a momentum of self-indulgence – just to buy beautiful things for themselves. Nina von C. is sexy in an aesthetic way, she is erotic but not in a provocative way, rather in a way that shows her self-assuredness.

Mathias Conzelmann: “The main aspects are comfort and the aesthetics of lingerie as well as the good feeling of wearing something special. The customers of Nina von C. expect high-class products that are convenient and affordable, but are also decorative enough for special occasions. Nina von C. stands for ornamental design that is also adequate for daily use. For us, the most important thing is that our customers get an optimum of quality, fashion and best material, designed by our team of women designers led by Martina herself. By women, for women.”

Four collections every year

The designers are the creative heart of Nina von C. The women identify trends and develop ideas for their romantic lingerie styles – for the four collections the company launches every year. For the choice of colours and tones they simply keep their minds and eyes open: one year there will be light, pastel colours like lemon – a light, fresh yellow; light pink – a soft fuchsia tone, and blue. These colours are combined with a lot of white and ivory. The following year bright colours in lingerie may be much less in demand, and then the fashion series are combined with more subtle colours like white, ivory, caramel or black.

Mathias Conzelmann explained “The designers travel a lot, mainly to London, Zurich, Milan and Paris, together with my sister Martina Bandte who is Head of Product Development. They spend the day running from shop to shop, absorbing the latest trends on the streets in Europe.”

A love for details

In the Nina von C. collections the decorative aspect is important. The company’s designers love details. Comfort-to-the-skin is also important: all the fabrics that the company uses, with the laces and embroideries, are soft and smooth. Lingerie must be very delicate and comfortable. Two of the fabrics being used are rayon and modal, both being very pleasant on the skin. As far as styling is concerned, some of the collections tend to be more like the opulent style French customers seem to prefer, while other collections cater for the German customers, who like it a bit less rococo.

Mathias Conzelmann continued, “Here in Albstadt we create the design, develop the collections, do our own manufacturing and

carry out the finishing in cooperation with finishing-mills in the region. Also, almost all samples are produced in Albstadt.”

Around 120 employees work for Karl Conzelmann GmbH & Co KG in Albstadt. Another 150 are employed at European production subsidiaries in Romania and Portugal. In Albstadt the majority of all the fabric used is produced. Around 50 huge tubular knitting machines rotate up to 45 times per minute. The finest, almost invisible threads made of selected, high-quality fibres are knitted by thousands of needles into delicate raw fabric. With each turn, row by row of the endless, fine fabric tube slowly evolves. Finerib, interlock and single jersey can be produced here. The company can also use different yarns in one fabric, e.g. spandex, micro-modal and rayon.

Mathias Conzelmann: “We sell only fabrics that meet the strict German sustainability label Oekotex. Quality and sustainability have always been an important factor for us. They have been classic Swabian virtues long before recent social and political discussions, and have been a leading motto for the company over three generations.”

Vision for the future

The company expects to further grow its market share in the countries where it currently operates.

Mathias Conzelmann concluded, “One can always find cheaper products somewhere else, but we are convinced that quality is the only strategy that can succeed in the long run. My family and our team of very dedicated women designers, together with our employees, have been able to prove that during the last 25 years, with our brand line Nina von C.” n

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Soulis-Kuehnis is made up of the following departments: -Department of design and new product development -Department of digital design -Department of embroidery production -Finishing and dyeing department -Department of yarn production -Department of production of elastic and stable fabric for stinging

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