Despite widespread belief, the ‘Made in Germany’ label is not a German invention. Instead, it was an idea of Great Britain. Find out why on the next page and in the following special theme, we have also handpicked some great products and innovative ideas Germany has brought forward recently.

TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF | TOP PHOTO © KENNEL & SHMENGER

Did you know that the ‘Made in Germany’ label is over 129 years old and that it was an invention of Great Britain? To be precise, Great Britain introduced the label in 1887 when it passed a law to force foreign companies to make the origins of their products clear. Apparently, several German companies had copied British products and Great Britain wanted to keep German products from gaining popularity in their country by labelling exactly where they come from.


PHOTO © GUTMANN

However, this clearly backfired as the ‘Made in Germany’ trademark is now probably the most famous and appreciated one all over the world. This came about as German products vastly improved by the end of the 19th century. They grew in popularity due to their meticulous attention to detail and high-quality workmanship.
During the First and Second World War, Germany’s economy was obviously devastated and the reputation of German companies and their products sank to an all-time low. Today, the reputation for Germany’s well-made products has recovered and, especially in recent decades, companies take advantage of this. For example, Volkswagen shows its roots with the slogan ’Das Auto’ and Audi has ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ in their international advertising campaigns.

To dig deaper in the subject German design, please follow this link: www.discovergermany.com


PHOTO © TWINKLE KID, HAMBURG

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