Textile testing and research partner Hohenstein has reason to celebrate: this year marks the company’s 75th anniversary. Now in its third generation of family ownership, the company will spend this landmark year expanding its foundation for the future.

Owner Prof. Dr. Stefan Mecheels is proud. “Our motto, we live textiles, expresses exactly what has made us special for many decades — our collective enthusiasm for textiles and the opportunity to provide solutions that make a difference in the world,” he said.

Successful Roots

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Otto Mecheels laid the foundation for an internationally renowned company in 1946 when he founded the Hohenstein Institutes, a textile school in Hohenstein Castle. His son, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Mecheels modernized the Hohenstein Group’s business structures and expanded into new research and service areas such as textile finishing and chemical laundering. He helped to forever change textile safety with the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification system that protects consumers from harmful substances. Under Prof. Dr. Stefan Mecheels’ leadership since 1995, Hohenstein has been at the forefront of microfiber analysis, created and updated standards for comfort and compression testing and worked to reduce the industry’s ecological impact. Hohenstein expanded its international orientation by adding laboratories in Hong Kong (2011) and Bangladesh and India (2018) to its global network, ensuring even greater market proximity.