„Our core values are our guiding principles.
Beyond that, we allow ourselves unlimited creativity.“
Erwin O. Licher
Erwin O. Licher was born in a small town in the heart of Germany and grew up in the rural community of that time. He completed his apprenticeship as a model locksmith at the Main-Weser Hütte in Lollar, where his grandfather and father worked until they retired.
He couldn't wait for his driver's license. The minute he turned eighteen, he bought himself an old Ford 17M for 400 German Marks on credit and fitted some sweet reclining seats.
As a result, Erwin O. was married off by his family at the age of 19. However, at 21, and having become a proud father, he unfortunately divorced. From that point on, he hit the road and explored the world.
After trying his hand at several different trades, Erwin O. Licher finally mastered the art of selling. Over the next six years as a delivery driver for Vorlo Drinks Home Service, he did not only become an outstanding salesman. He also picked up insights into human nature as well, which proved to be a helpful skill that would guide and serve him well in the future.
A former friend encouraged Erwin O. Licher to sell jeans directly from his car. Mr. Licher observed this for a few days and was convinced.
Now all he needed was his own van and a sales license, which he obtained from the trade office in Giessen. He found a van which had been used by a laundry service: the logo was sanded off and the wagon was quickly repainted in 'jeans blue', which was the colour of the blue fabric.
Now everything began: in 1972, Mr. Licher was self-employed. He sold the first pre-washed Donovan Jeans from Paris directly from his car to retailers in Bavaria, which was assigned to him as a sales area by MASH-Paris.
MASH delivered Donovan Jeans from Paris to Offenbach every week with a large truck. On Mondays, the men with their vans were already waiting there to distribute the highly desirable goods to their areas.
Erwin O. Licher then considered opening his own jeans store. But being completely inexperienced, he thought that stores had to be where none existed.
After opening his 'Jeans-Center' in Dillenburg, Germany, Mr. Licher decided to say goodbye after a one-year test phase. In 1973, Mr. Licher founded his first (and also Giessen's first) contemporary jeans store in 1973 in his hometown Giessen at Walltorstrasse 35, a corner house, carrying the name 'Jeans-Ecke' (Denim-Corner).
During the oil crisis at the end of 1973, Erwin O. Licher gave up his traveling and gradually established himself as a full-blooded retailer. Every Monday he made the trip to Ffm-Bonames to Mr. Theurer (Outsider, Pence, Americanino) at the 'Haus der Mode' in Eschborn (ZAR and UFO), then Sprendlingen and Weisskirchen (Fruit of the Loom, Lee, STAJeans and Landlupper USA).
In the spring of 1978, Mr. Licher opened his second and even bigger specialty jeans store at Bahnhofstrasse 56 in Giessen.
In 1981, a good friend and business-owner from Munich, urged Erwin O. Licher to sell and distribute his brand PASH Jeans in Hesse, Germany.
Mr. Licher didn't want to return to the street. However, the positive response to the PASH brand during Cologne's Men's Fashion Week, which later became the Interjeans Fair, convinced Mr. Licher to re-enter the distribution business in addition to his thriving retail business from 1981 onwards.
With his friends from Giessen as representatives, he supplied Rhineland-Palatinate, the Saarland, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, the entire north of Germany, and after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the new federal states with PASH jeans.
Mr. Licher became a designer, creating the PASH collection, in addition to his sales and retail attributes.
In 1988, Mr. Licher sold his 'Jeans-Ecke' in Giessen. Two years later he moved to Munich dedicating himself fully to the further development of the PASH brand, which he carried out with great success.
On December 31, 1992, Mr. Licher left the well-established PASH brand, which at this stage had an annual turnover of 40 million German Marks.
In 1992, Erwin O. Licher founded the streetwear brand Freeman T. Porter, dedicated and named after his biological father living in St.Louis, USA. The first collection premiered at the Interjeans trade fair in Cologne in February 1993. In April, Mr. Licher began operating and distributing his own business in Lodenfrey Park by supplying the first Freeman T. Porter garments to specialized retailers.
From April 1994, distribution was managed through Midgard Textilvertriebs GmbH in Munich. Mr. Licher personally developed all Freeman T. Porter collections and ensured their consistent production and delivery.
The company Fashion Styling Licher was founded in 1995. Erwin O. Licher began gathering a team of product specialists, to establish a perfect quality management. He continued to acquire production facilities in various countries and was responsible for design, the entire procurement of goods and quality assurance as well as the image of the Freeman T. Porter brand.
In the spring of 1997, graduate designer Christine Lambrecht from Aachen joined the Fashion Styling Licher team in Munich. Later on, side by side she also joined Erwin O. Licher. Till today, their life together as a couple and family is still going strong. On April 1, 2022, they celebrated their 25th anniversary of 'Love & Work together'.
Following over 11 years of successful market penetration with Freeman T. Porter and sales of 42 million euros in 2003, the company parted ways with the textile distributor Midgard GmbH in the summer of 2004.
In the summer of 2004, Erwin O. Licher has two new brands registered as trademarks. The collection premiere of both brands took place in the Park Café in Munich on August 14 in 2004. From this point on, Erwin O. Licher brought all his know-how and personal commitment to both brands, Blaustoff Herrlicher and Tuney Clothing.
The Herrlicher brand was named after its founder Mr. Licher himself. Tuney Clothing is a tribute to his American father, Freeman “Tuney” Porter, whose middle name inspired the brand. From December 2004, both brands were distributed to specialty retailers throughout Europe by Fashion Styling Licher.
During this time, the owner-managed company was registered by Mr. Licher according to the commercial court. Since December 2004, the company has been registered as Fashion Styling Licher e.K. with the HRA number 85146 at the Munich Registry Court.
The potential of the Herrlicher brand was recognized in the early stages due to its enormous growth. To capitalize on this success, Fashion Styling Licher e.K. made the strategic decision to concentrate solely on Herrlicher. As a result, no more collections were designed for the Tuney Clothing brand from the winter of 2006 onwards.
Mr. Licher was celebrated in grand style by his team, including old and new friends, and family on his 60th birthday in November 2006.
For the first time in his life, Erwin O. Licher was lucky enough to be able to celebrate his birthday together with his mom and dad (Freeman T. Porter) - and this finally on his 60th.
Phenomenal for his further personal development.
The summer of June 2014 provided three extraordinary reasons for an unforgettable summer party: a second building with an additional warehouse, a magnificent showroom and lastly the 10th anniversary of Herrlicher.
Today, the Herrlicher brand has achieved an exceptionally high standing both in the retail sector and, to a much greater extent, with the end consumer. This prominent status is confirmed daily by the strong, continuous sales successes.
Mr. Lichers ongoing endeavor, together with his team and his wife Christine, continues to deliver on his strategic vision into guaranteed sales success through efficient design, high-quality products, and a powerful brand image.
And it should stay that way - a manufacturer of finest textiles.
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