Q&A Sharpened and simplified
Earlier in the year, Gustav Daiber announced that its brands James & Nicholson and Myrtle Beach would consolidate into one. In this insightful Q&A, André Knaus, head of marketing and digital operations, explains the reasons why and what this means for the company and its customers.
André Knaus, head of marketing and digital operations
Q. Can you tell our readers about the history and foundation of Daiber? A. Our success story started more than 100 years ago. The family business Gustav Daiber was founded in 1912 by Gustav Daiber in Ebingen in the Swabian Jura and began as a sales agency for textile accessories, trading in items such as elastic braids, sewing thread and buttons.
After a change in leadership in 1950 and the start of in-house
production of bows for the local lingerie industry in 1958, the 1970s brought significant advancements for us. In 1975, we embraced transfer printing – a revolutionary new development in textile decoration – and a year later, under the leadership of Rolf Daiber as third generation, added embroidery to our portfolio.
By the mid-1990s, we entered the headwear market and launched our first cap collection in 1996. We quickly became one of the biggest cap suppliers in Europe by 1998. Daiber Caps was the beginning of our first private label. Today, we offer over 700 products in up to 160 colour variations in the areas of promotion, sport, leisure, business, workwear and headwear. Daiber remains a family business, with Kai Gminder representing the fourth generation as managing director since January 2021, who runs the company together with Christof Kunze.
Q. And what about the two brands, James & Nicholson and Myrtle Beach? A. Our brand Myrtle Beach specialised in headwear, providing a diverse selection of caps and related accessories. It became one of the most successful product lines for caps in Europe in 2000.
One year later, in 2001, our other brand James & Nicholson was founded, offering a wide range of high-quality promotional and functional wear with an extensive palette of colours and sizes.
With both brands, we at Daiber have built up one of the widest ranges of corporate fashion in Europe. While looking back on our history with pride, we want to focus on what the future holds for Daiber.
Q. At the beginning of the year, the decision was made to merge the two brands into one. What was the driving factor behind this decision? A. The decision to unite our two product brands under the
| 28 | May 2025
Daiber name is a consistent step towards a sharpened and simplified brand identity.
As early as the mid-2000s, Daiber was established as a corporate brand through James & Nicholson and Myrtle Beach. The current brand transition continues along these lines. The decision is the result of in-depth internal workshops, accompanied by our agency Follow Red, where we identified the best way to evolve while staying true to our heritage. A key outcome was that we wanted to place Daiber more at the forefront of our communication in order to show what – and who – is behind our products and services. This was also expressed in our campaign ‘Daiber makes it’.
Daiber represents more than just a company – it carries the legacy of its founders and embodies the values that have driven our success for more than 100 years. At the same time, our focus remains firmly on our customers. Creating striking textile appearances for other brands and companies is in our DNA, and behind our products are passionate people dedicated to finding the right solutions for our customers’ needs. To tell this story, we as Daiber have to emerge from the background of our product brands. That is why we have decided to say goodbye to James & Nicholson and Myrtle Beach and unite all our products under a new brand: Daiber. Originally, a five-year period was planned for this process, but ultimately, we made a conscious decision to accelerate the brand transition.
Q. What is the main aim of the brand transition? A. By embracing the Daiber name across all product lines, we provide greater clarity and strengthen the connection between our brand and our customers. This transformation simplifies the structure for both our internal teams and our partners, reducing complexity while reinforcing what Daiber stands for. Our branding is evolving, but our core values remain unchanged. It is our goal to provide consistency, trust and an even stronger brand experience under the Daiber umbrella.
Q. What does this mean for customers going forward? A. At first glance, this sounds like a big change. But, while the branding may change, customers can continue to rely on Daiber for the same high-quality products and trusted services they have known from James & Nicholson and Myrtle Beach. Despite the new brand, our sales strategy also remains unaffected by the brand transition – we still focus on long-term co-operation with our proven partners and dealers, without addressing end customers directly. Together with them, we design expressive textile appearances that create identity. The only thing that really changes is the name on the label.
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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