OLYMP secures rights to shirt and blouse brand Eterna

For many decades, the OLYMP and Eterna brands have been competitors. Now, the OLYMP Bezner Group from Bietigheim-Bissingen (Ludwigsburg district, Baden-Württemberg, Germany) has acquired all trademark rights, specifically those regarding the core brand ETERNA, from Eterna Mode GmbH in Passau. The Bavarian shirt and blouse specialist filed for insolvency in mid-December 2025 and recently announced the cessation of business operations by summer 2026.

Mark Bezner, Owner and CEO of OLYMP, explains: “We have great respect for the entrepreneurial achievements of our long-standing competitor Eterna, which, alongside OLYMP, has shaped the German and European shirt market for decades. Both brands have always been united by a distinct sense of quality, a flair for timeless elegance, and the pursuit of the perfect shirt. We are already examining various scenarios regarding how we can successfully re-establish the Eterna brand in the market for its many loyal followers and retail partners.”

The acquisition of the trademark rights to the core brand Eterna, as well as other registered trademarks from Eterna Mode GmbH, represents a valuable enrichment of OLYMP’s growing brand and product portfolio. Given their distinct collection profiles, market coverage, target group approaches, and retail assortment positioning, the two brands complement each other. This offers OLYMP numerous opportunities to position itself even more broadly and flexibly within the fashion industry’s persistently challenging market environment in the future.

While OLYMP is gradually evolving from a product specialist into a lifestyle brand through the targeted expansion of its apparel range—achieving a higher degree of modernity through innovative designs and a distinctive brand presence that appeals to a more trend-conscious clientele—Eterna stands for a quality-oriented shirt and blouse tradition with an independent brand identity. Further potential arises from the differing regional and international distribution focuses of both brands, allowing their respective positionings to complement one another ideally.

OLYMP Bezner KG, based in Bietigheim-Bissingen near Stuttgart, is the market leader for shirts in Germany and ranks among Europe’s leading shirt brands. The high-quality OLYMP apparel assortment, which includes shirts for business, casual, and formal occasions, as well as an increasing range of knitwear and jersey items, trousers, and—since Autumn 2025—jackets, is distributed worldwide in more than 40 countries. These include Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary.

The distribution of OLYMP products takes place primarily through the specialist apparel trade. Within its own retail strategy, which serves as an important supplement to expand brand presence, OLYMP pursues a prudent course of expansion. Its own retail activities include brick-and-mortar OLYMP stores in Germany and Austria, as well as the OLYMP online shop.