Long-term thinking and high-quality workmanship also mean that a pair of good hiking boots cost a couple of hundred euros, and yet they still generate far smaller profit margins than a sneaker costing half as much. Especially, when no corners are cut in making the 100-plus parts that are used to make a boot – from the high-quality Vibram sole to the timeless full-grain leather upper or the solid, deep-pull lacing. To maintain the highest quality standards for its comparably modest collections, HANWAG only produces at manufacturing facilities in Europe. Such as its factory in Hungary. Or the family-owned bootmaking business in Croatia that has worked exclusively for HANWAG for over 30 years. And HANWAG still makes boots at its company headquarters in Vierkirchen, which is no longer a small village, but is now connected to Munich by a fast urban railway link.
However, the challenge with longevity has always been in how to move with the times, while learning from the past. In 2004, when there was nobody to take the helm at HANWAG, the director of the family-owned company, Josef Wagner, decided to look for a buyer. He chose the Fenix group from Sweden, because they want HANWAG to continue as a premium brand. Under the new ownership, the collection might have changed slightly in terms of colour and design; the areas of use might have broadened, but at heart HANWAG remains a high-quality shoemaker from a small Bavarian village that sells boots all over the world.
