What Wellensteyn is known for

German outerwear brand founded in 1952 by Adolf Wuttke in Norderstedt near Hamburg, originally making waxed-sailcloth workwear for shipbuilders; his grandson Thomas Wuttke repositioned it as a lifestyle outerwear label in 1986.

Wellensteyn was founded in 1952 in Norderstedt, just outside Hamburg, by Adolf Wuttke, whose original business supplied durable workwear and deep-sea instruments to the German shipbuilding industry. Early garments were made from heavy, waxed sailcloth known as 'Deutschleder.' After three decades focused on industrial workwear, Adolf's grandson Thomas Wuttke repositioned the company in 1986 into an urban outerwear brand, translating jackets originally tested on oil platforms and offshore rigs into a civilian lifestyle product line. Wellensteyn describes itself today as a market leader in outdoor jackets in Germany.