The corsetier Johann Gottfried Spiesshofer and the merchant Michael Braun founded a corset factory in 1886, with six employees and six sewing machines. Every product was handcrafted out of a barn in Heubach, in the German Kingdom of Württemberg. Then as now, the guiding principle was to offer beautiful and well made undergarments whose comfort and support improved the quality of life of women. “Spiesshofer & Braun” began selling in 1892 to England, one of their first export markets.