Etienne Aigner AG is a luxury accessories house based in Munich, Germany. Founded by Etienne Aigner in 1949, the brand is known around the world for its quality and craftsmanship in bags, wallets and accessories, and for its signature dark red leather that echoes the color of fine chianti.
Etienne Aigner was born in Hungary in 1904, and began his career as a bookbinder in Paris, 1926. His skill with leather became well-known and he gradually transitioned from bookbinding to crafting high-quality bags and belts for such top designers as Christian Dior. Sensing an opportunity, Aigner moved to New York in 1949 and began offering his handcrafted leather items out of his apartment. Mandy goods were produced in the dark red color, which was all he could afford at the time. That unique red shade would become his signature as much as the "A" logo that would eventually adorn his articles.
By 1959, Aigner opened his first showroom on 5th Avenue. His innovative pairing of leather with other textiles—straw, linen, fishnet&mash; made his handbags a "must-have" accessory for stylsh women of the 1950s. Soon, he was flooded with orders from high-end retailers around the world.
