The legendary glove manufactoring in Pécs

If someone mentions fashion, the first thing that comes to our mind is Paris. It is frequently forgotten that Hungary also played a significant role in the history of fashion since the 19th century. For example, it is worth to know that it is the famous Hungarian city, Pécs that is the capital of glove making on the European continent. The legendary Pécs gloves, or Hamerli gloves are unique and famous all over the world. Even American superstars tend to have a pair of the Hungarian invention.

In 1861, Hungarian tawer János Hamerli established Hungary’s first glove factory. He was a master in making gloves as he learned the skills for the noble craftsmanship in Austria and the Czech Republic from well-known foreign masters. He was an excellent tawer in Hungary and managed to become famous in a short period of time. His skills were the best in the whole country. He invented the first glove sewing-machine. With hard work and new inventions, the factory became the most profitable business in the country and the continent. After his death in 1895, his oldest son became his successor. In the 1930s the factory started to export the unique gloves to foreign countries in Western-Europe. Luckily, the factory survived World War II and continued the manufacturing. In the 1950s the factory became known in the United States and Japan. In 1970 it became the biggest glove making factory in the country and in the world, as well, and had an excellent strategy on how to be available on the international market.

At the beginning of the 1990s, Pécs gloves started to become old-fashioned and unpopular. It was also a problem that the company did not have enough employees to manage the huge amount of export. Soon the factory had to be closed. Fortunately, the employees of the factory started their small undertakings and kept the brand alive. After 1996, many workshops opened across the country and continued the tradition of making legendary Hungarian gloves.