The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2024 - Issue 36

Designer Profile Cristina Lloyd looks at Hanro’s milestones over the decades, from its inception to today’s underwear and loungewear innovations. bitefashion Hanro The Touch of Luxury O ver a hundred years ago, in 1884, Albert Handschin and Carl Ronus opened a knitwear factory in the Swiss town of Liestal named Hanro, taken from the first syllables of their surnames. Their initial knitted fabric production transitioned into producing high-quality underwear made from the finest natural fibres on specially developed machinery. With Swiss precision and traditional craftsmanship, Hanro’s unique expertise set them apart from other textile manu- facturers of the time. Whilst the remaining decades of the 19th century saw women’s fashion change with the launch of the arts and crafts movement to looser and healthier underwear using delicate fabrics, the 1900s to 1920s birthed modern under- wear. At the turn of the century, Hanro introduced innovative production tech- niques that set new standards of comfort and quality at a time when corsets and stiff undergarments were the norm, especially for women. Their softer, knitted undergarments offered more flexibility and breathability, marking a significant shift toward more comfortable, body-conscious underwear. By the 1920s, they had earned a repu- tation for producing some of the finest cotton underwear, such as the ultra-light and waist-enhancing Spencer tops and circular knit bodysuits. The brand’s seamless, knitted undergarments were a significant leap from the restrictive, multilayered styles that dominated the market.