The shirt specialist OLYMP Bezner GmbH & Co. KG, based in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Southern Germany, is the typical offspring of the German economic miracle and was established in 1951 by Eugen Bezner. With just six employees working in the modest laundry of his home, he started the production of men's shirts, which were initially still made from available military fabrics or parachute silk.

Sales of these shirts were so successful that the small Swabian Company soon needed to expand. The number of employees, who were mainly seamstresses, grew very quickly and the first production sites in Großingersheim (in the district of Ludwigsburg) had to be continuously extended.

With the "original Bezner collar", a ground-breaking innovation of the company’s founder, the first OLYMP shirt had already proved itself to be extremely durable. Through the use and skilled processing of only high-quality shirt fabrics, the OLYMP company was soon able to establish itself. This medium-sized company has pursued the same fundamental principle ever since: "The unique and uncompromising product quality forms the very foundation of the company philosophy." The aspirations of Eugen Bezner, to produce a man's shirt which was uncompromising both in terms of quality and finish, inspired him to chose the memorable brand name "OLYMP" – alluding to Mount Olympus, the highest mountain range in Greece ("Olymp" in German). The name given to the "home of the Gods", which towers above all else, so to speak, was intended to represent a similar meaning in the shirt market.

With the sudden death of Eugen Bezner in 1960, his son Eberhard – at the age of 24 – was made Managing Director and handed responsibility for the medium-sized company. Eberhard Bezner has regularly expanded the company in Bietigheim ever since and provided the impetus for the successful development of the OLYMP brand.

Mark Bezner (born in 1963), the grandson of the company's founder Eugen Bezner and son of co-partner Eberhard Bezner, pledged his support at an early age to the company's tradition and to taking over the medium-sized, family-run company. Since 1990, he has expanded the product range in a market-oriented and focused manner. Today, in addition to high-quality business shirts, OLYMP also produces an increasing number of casual shirts and polo shirts. In addition to this, a selection of specially designed, colour-coordinated ties of pure silk is also available for each shirt range. At the same time, he has repositioned the OLYMP brand and in 2001 carried out a complete brand re-launch, rejuvenated the collections through contemporary styling and modernized internal processes.

Today, with an annual production volume of some million items, OLYMP is the market leader in Germany and, with a market presence in more than 40 countries, is one of the major and most successful shirt manufacturers in Europe.