Triumph International

A manufacturing group specializing in women’s underwear, corsetry and swimsuits. It was founded in 1886 in Germany. It has a presence in the markets of 120 nations in Europe, North America, Australia, Asia, and Latin America, with production of more than 200 million items yearly, made in the factories of 15 different countries. The total work force is about 35,000 employees. The sales volume is more than 2 trillion liras. In 1986, the group purchased the French compny HOM (intimatewear, leisure wear, and beach wear), a label that joined Triumph, Sloggi (especially underwear for men and women: 12 million items yearly), and Gaja (lingerie). Since 1994, the group’s products have met environmental standards both in terms of materials used and in terms of manufacturing process. In 1996, it launched a revolutionary men’s underwear with a horizontal slot-opening. Three years later, it launched Aqualife Body Float, a bathing suit that, thanks to its unique cellular structure, helps you to float.
2000. Italian turnover was 160 billion liras, with 419 employees.
2002, January. After the boycotting campaign against the multinational, it closed its plant, Myanmar Triumph International, in Rangoon, Myanmar (Burma). The accusations, from the International Labour Organization, among others, were exploitation of child labor and economically encouraging the military regime of Rangoon. The advertising campaign featured an iron bra with the slogan ‘Support breasts not dictators.’ A thousand workers lost their jobs.
2002. Added to the existing brands were Valisère and BeeDees. At year’s end, the volume of investment was 50.5 million Swiss francs, the employees were 37,273, and turnover had declined from the year before by 4.6 percent.
2003, June. Opening of the new outlet (the first one is in Trescore Balnerario, where Triumph has its Italian headquarters), inside the Fidenza Village in the province of Parma.