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Design and development

Every journey begins with an idea

ETERNA’s high standards of quality apply to the same degree to our products, raw materials, suppliers, employees and partners. Our tradition dates back to 1863: innovative spirit has been an integral part of our success since our founding years.

Innovations

Shirt
Shirt Workshop
Design Workshop
  • 1880
    Shirt with alterable collar breadth
    The technical innovation of a shirt with an alterable collar breadth, close to the concept of a tailored shirt, was registered for patent by the founders of ETERNA, the Hönigsberg brothers, in 1880.
  • 1923
    Invention of the semi-rigid collar
    In 1923, the semi-rigid collar was produced using a special two-ply fabric that is easy to maintain and virtually indestructible.
  • 1936
    ETERNA Wunder (miracle)
    A shirt collar whose upper fabric layer could be removed when worn out revolutionised men’s fashion in 1936.
  • 1964
    ETERNA Superfein (super-fine)
    Despite the density of the fabric in the ‘ETERNA Superfein’ shirt, newly developed in 1964, the product was particularly breathable, providing even better wearing comfort.
  • 1981
    The EXCELLENT shirt
    Article 1100, the ‘EXCELLENT shirt’, is made of pure cotton and yet non-iron – a characteristic that previously only applied to polyester. This exclusive innovation established the ‘swiss+cotton’ label.
  • 2003
    Anti-odour finishes
    Laborious research generated a new form of fabric finish: the new intelligent textiles for shirts and blouses do not absorb cigarette smoke, food vapours or sweat odour.
  • 2011
    Dynamic Cotton
    A world-exclusive new product from ETERNA caused a sensation in the textile sector: a pure cotton fabric with exceptional elasticity heralded a new era in wearing comfort.
  • 2014
    Stretch Non Iron – a world first
    ETERNA continued its tradition of innovative spirit in 2014. With the Stretch Non Iron range, shirts that combined perfect wearing comfort with convenient care characteristics entered the market for the first time. Once again, ETERNA proved itself as a pioneer.
  • 2016
    Pima cotton
    ETERNA has been using extra-fine Pima cotton since 2016. Pima cotton comes from Peru or California, and is extremely soft, durable and resistant to matting.
  • 2016
    Aloe Vera Silk Touch
    Soft against the skin, calming, cooling and non-crease: blouses with the Silk Touch aloe vera finish combine all these properties. Silk Touch is a market-first for women with sensitive skin.
  • 2016
    Print Non-Iron
    ETERNA launched the first ever print shirt with non-iron properties onto the market in October 2016. Up until then, print shirts could not be made crease-free.