Pécs Gloves
The craft of making gloves dates back almost 300 years, already in the 18th century. In Pécs, gloves have been made since the middle of the 19th century when the Hamerly family built a factory known throughout Europe. After World War II, the nationalized glove factory became one of the dominant establishment in the world. Nowadays, there are seven smaller private glove companies operating together in the city.
Hamerli Glove Factory
Hungary's first glove factory was established in 1861 in Pécs by János Hamerly. His choice of location could not have been accidental, as craftsmen in Pécs have been famous for their best quality skins since Turkish rule. Hamerly also opened a glove factory in Vienna in 1865, a necessary place to present the products. The dynamic development of the glove business and the opening of markets have led to continuous expansion. Hamerly also kept business in the Pécs City Hall and on Fő utca. However, due to the smelly and polluting nature of leather production, he could not expand his site here; in 1877 he bought a new site on Alsó-Puturla utca (today's Vince), where he also moved his rawhide warehouse and tanner's workshop. Hamerly won a medal at the Vienna World's Fair in 1873 and a gold medal two years later in Neusalz. The success was due not only to good raw materials but also to modern technology, by 1868 Western presses and sewing machines were already in use. After the death of János Hamerly in 1895, his sons ran the factory, which became a real large factory mainly for his son Imre Hammerli. In 1907, the Pécs National Exhibition and Fair, which received one million visitors, hosted the Hamerly Pavilion. Among the locals there were also the "Angster Organ Factory", the "Höfler & Co. Leather Factory", the "Zsolnay Majolica Factory" and the "Littke Champagne Factory".
Hunor Pécs Gloves and Leather Clothing Company
The company survived the difficulties of the two world wars with great difficulty, being able to employ fewer employees year after year. In 1948, the factory was nationalized and tannery production was reorganized. Fortunately, the factory reorganization fit into the central design ideas, so that between 1953-56 the number of workers doubled. In the seventies, in the leather jacket, leather gloves and leather goods department of the Corvin Department Store in Budapest, there were various leather gloves and handbags on the shelves behind the counter. The selection consisted almost exclusively of the products of the Pécs Glove Factory. Thanks to various development programs, capital exports reached $ 14-15 million by the 1980s. In 1982 to Hunor Pécs Gloves and Leather Clothing Company the name of the factory was changed and the production of new products (men's and women's jackets) was also planned. However, investment resources slowly waned and then the factory was privatized in the early 1990s.
Pécs Glove Congregation
The media wrote about the closure of the glove factory in Pécs a few years ago, but fans of demanding Hungarian brands did not have to worry. Only the Hungarian Glove Joint Venture in Pécs, German-owned by Otto Kessler, ceased its production activities and manufacturing in Pécs, the two subsidiaries, one in China, with three hundred people employed and in Ethiopia with one hundred people employed, continued. The liquidated company could not even officially use the Pécs Gloves brand name because it was not a member of the congregation. Instead of the old large glove factory, there are now seven private gloves companies in the city.
To our pride, the Pécs glove still plays a decisive role in its fashion world, even the most popular pop stars wear it in their performances, such as Lady Gaga or Madonna.
Szüts Etele