|
20 September 2026 Ludwig Reiter: Vienna Craft, Denim and Paris SS27
Quick Read
• Austria's footwear industry is small but includes established domestic manufacturers and brands. Austria's small footwear manufacturing baseAustria's footwear industry is considerably smaller than its retail shoe market. The Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO) counted 24 footwear-industry companies in 2025, employing 939 people. Production takes place in Austria as well as in Eastern Europe and Asia. The WKO directory includes Austrian-based manufacturers and labels such as Ludwig Reiter, Paul Green, Hartjes, Högl, Legero, Ganter, Fidelio and Waldviertler — although being based in Austria does not necessarily mean that a brand's entire production is domestic.Against this background, Ludwig Reiter occupies a particular position. Founded in Vienna in 1885, the family business moved its production to Gut Süßenbrunn in Vienna's 22nd district, where it continues to produce classical welted shoes on a commercial scale. The company describes itself as Austria's only commercial producer of traditional Goodyear-welted shoes. That makes Ludwig Reiter an interesting link between Vienna's traditional shoemaking and contemporary fashion. Its current range extends beyond classic men's footwear to women's shoes, sports and casual styles and leather accessories. The company is now run by the fourth and fifth generations of the Reiter family. HW26: Craft meets contemporary personalitiesFor its Autumn/Winter 2026 campaign, recently presented (video on Instagram), Ludwig Reiter worked with Ferdinand and Eleonora Schönburg. Ferdinand Schönburg is an Austrian entrepreneur, while Eleonora Schönburg works as a goldsmith and jewellery designer with EAMBRANDIS. She also has a role in music as a DJ and curator. Her jewellery label was launched in 2015 and combines traditional goldsmith techniques with contemporary design.The campaign presents new models including the Arizona Boot for women and the Karmeliter ankle boot for men. Rather than using a conventional fashion-campaign cast, the choice of two people whose professional backgrounds connect entrepreneurship, craft, design and music reflects the broader territory in which the company operates. Two classics meet German denimAnother recent development is the cooperation with PNTS, a German premium-casual label launched by the Herford-based Leineweber company in 2022. PNTS focuses particularly on contemporary trousers and denim, with its brand identity built around the phrase "Made by Humans".The collaboration places denim directly into two established Ludwig Reiter boot designs: the Maronibrater and the Gardener. The Maronibrater combines blue Juchten leather, a warm shearling lining and a rugged sole with a denim shaft. The Gardener uses vulcanised natural rubber, a leather lining and a blue denim upper shaft. The result is less a conventional fashion crossover than a meeting of two material traditions: Vienna shoemaking and contemporary denim. It also illustrates how an established craft manufacturer can use collaborations to move familiar forms into a different fashion context. Next stop: ParisThe next step takes Ludwig Reiter into the international fashion calendar. During Paris Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2027, the company plans to present its new women's collection at the Untitled Showroom from September 30 to October 6, 2026, at 62 Boulevard de Courcelles. The presentation is intended for fashion-business professionals and media, according to the company's September announcement.Image: A Ludwig Reiter craftsman works on the Ludwig Reiter x PNTS Maronibrater boot with its blue denim shaft in the Vienna workshop. © Ludwig Reiter / Jamie McGregor Smith |