1881
Heinrich van Laack established van Laack in 1881 with two partners. He had a simple vision: to manufacture the most luxurious shirts. This luxury was manifested in the smallest of details and expressed the personality of the wearer.

1920
In the "golden twenties", elegant and luxurious shirts became a "must-have" item for the well-dressed man. The van Laack clothing company in Berlin, in particular, benefitted from this development. At the same time, van Laack became one of the first brand-name products in the fashion industry. The classic van Laack logo was developed with the slogan “van Laack - the royal shirt”.

1930
The material used for the three-hole buttons, which were developed by Heinrich van Laack, was further improved. Today’s brand success is based on the range of characteristic van Laack product features developed at this time.

1953
After the Second World War, Heinrich Hoffmann acquired the van Laack brand and relocated the production facilities from Berlin to Mönchengladbach. Germany’s economic boom proved to be a new beginning for the traditional brand. Heinrich Hoffmann was the driving force behind the company, providing the impetus and continually improving the van Laack brand.

1970
Rolf Hoffmann took over the company management from his father Heinrich and successfully expanded the company into international markets.

1972
In 1972, the company unveiled its first van Laack collection for ladies. The van Laack tradition continued by the high level of workmanship and a love of detail.

1983
In 1983, ties, homewear and nightwear for men became a new facet of the van Laack brand and helped orient it towards the future.

2002
In 2002, Christian von Daniels, a textile manufacturer, acquired the company. As a passionate shirt manufacturer, he set himself the goal to further increase the exclusivity of the van Laack brand. Christian von Daniels continued the brand’s success story with the implementation of the van Laack partner concept. For von Daniels, product showcasing took the centre stage in van Laack’s new image. Every article had its own stage.

2005
In 2005, what successfully began in van Laack’s flagship stores was then found in over 50 countries. Within three years, more than 80 new partner stores and partner sections opened. After numerous expansions into other European countries, van Laack products were available on all five continents.

2006
van Laack celebrated 125 years of business and continued to be a success story. The opening of the new Asian centre for production and distribution in Vietnam marked the start of a new and exciting chapter - one which had gained international recognition.

2007
The opening of the centre for production and distribution in Hanoi created the conditions for the opening up into Asian and Oceanic markets.

2008
van Laack was well-armed for the global future with the flagship and partner concepts. In addition to the European and Asian markets, van Laack focused on expanding into the United States. The first van Laack store to hit the USA opened on Madison Avenue in New York.