Frank Walder

What Frank Walder does

Frank Walder (legally Held Fashion Retail GmbH, headquartered in Münchberg, Bavaria, and a subsidiary of family office Frankenwälder E. Held GmbH & Co.KG) is a German women's apparel manufacturer and retailer founded in 1953 by Ernestine Held. The company designs, produces, and distributes sporty-elegant fashion for women aged 50+ across coordinated categories — blazers, blouses, pants, dresses, skirts, shirts, knitwear, and accessories — sold through a proprietary color-world merchandising system across sizes 36-52. Technical differentiation rests on a jointly-held jersey printing patent, an in-house pattern and cutting department in Münchberg for fit consistency, a 30-person design team, and approximately 75% European production (significant share in own Eastern European factories) with ~80% European fabric sourcing.

The business operates a multi-channel go-to-market: a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop at frankwalder.com (Shopware-based), a dedicated B2B dealer and reseller portal at b2b.frankwalder.com, brick-and-mortar retail presence, and catalog-driven marketing. Geographic footprint spans Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg via DHL shipping, with export quota exceeding 60%. The portfolio includes the core FRANK WALDER brand, the 2025-launched Frank Walder Casual sub-line, the TUZZI younger-audience brand (acquired 2016), and Stoff4you.de online fabric store (acquired January 2023). With 180 employees and third-generation family leadership (Tilman Held since 2000, Carolin Kittel since 2005), the company pursues controlled incremental expansion through sub-brands, M&A, and EU market development rather than venture-backed scaling.

Name

Frank Walder

Legal name

Held Fashion Retail GmbH

Website

https://frankwalder.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Frank Walder is a German family-owned women's fashion house (founded 1953, 180 employees, Münchberg) designing and producing sporty-elegant coordinated apparel in sizes 36-52 for women aged 50+, sold via DTC e-commerce, B2B wholesale, and retail across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Apparel

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (458110), Apparel Manufacturing (315), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159)

SIC

Retail-Women's Clothing Stores (5621), Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Women’s Apparel Retail (CRAAABAB)

Keywords

• Women's apparel
• Mature women's fashion
• Coordinated clothing collections
• Jersey fabric manufacturing
• Sporty elegant fashion

Headquarters

HQ city

Münchberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct retail sales: Frank Walder sells women's fashion directly to consumers through its proprietary online shop (www.frankwalder.com) and stationary retail channels. The company offers products across multiple categories including blazers, shirts, blouses, pants, skirts, dresses, knitwear, and accessories.
2. B2B wholesale: Frank Walder operates a B2B dealer and reseller portal (b2b.frankwalder.com) offering exclusive deals for retailers and resellers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Frank Walder designs, manufactures and distributes sporty-elegant women's clothing in sizes 36-52 under its flagship FRANK WALDER brand, with sub-brands FRANK WALDER Casual (2025) and acquired TUZZI. Its core assortment spans blazers, blouses, shirts, pants, skirts, dresses, knitwear and accessories, all organized into coordinated color worlds that enable easy outfit combination. The company sells to end consumers through its proprietary online shop and physical retail, and to retailers through a B2B portal.

Product overview

FRANK WALDER is a traditional German women's clothing manufacturer founded in 1953, based in Münchberg, Bavaria. The company operates a platform-plus-sub-brand architecture centered on its main FRANK WALDER brand, which offers sporty-elegant fashion for women 50+. The main collection provides coordinated outfits across multiple categories including blazers, jackets, blouses, blouse-shirts, pants (Mia, Brenda, Anna lines), dresses (jersey and blouse dresses), skirts (A-line, pencil, midi), shirts (short/long-sleeve, polo, jersey), knitwear (jackets, sweaters, vests), and accessories (scarves, shawls). In 2025, the company launched the Frank Walder Casual sub-line for modern-sportive everyday wear. Additionally, the TUZZI brand (acquired in 2016) targets a younger demographic. The company also acquired online fabric store Stoff4you.de in 2023. Collections are available through an e-commerce online shop, B2B wholesale portal, and brick-and-mortar retail partners across Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TUZZI: Younger fashion brand acquired in 2016 targeting a broader audience
• FRANK WALDER Casual

Products and services

• FRANK WALDER Main Brand (women's apparel collection) The flagship FRANK WALDER collection — sporty-elegant women's clothing in sizes 36-52 covering blazers, blouses, shirts, pants, skirts, dresses, knitwear, vests and accessories, organized into coordinated color worlds for easy outfit combination, targeting women aged 50+ in German-speaking Europe and the Benelux.
• FRANK WALDER Casual A modern-sportive sub-line of the FRANK WALDER brand, designed for everyday wear, short trips and leisure activities, featuring light knitwear, casual shirts, polo variants, sweatshirts and stretch jeans with comfortable fit and uncomplicated care.
• TUZZI Younger women's fashion brand acquired by Frank Walder in 2016, operated as a wholly owned subsidiary to broaden the company's audience reach beyond the core 50+ FRANK WALDER customer.
• Frank Walder B2B Dealer Portal A dedicated wholesale online portal at b2b.frankwalder.com that provides registered dealers and resellers with exclusive access to Frank Walder's sustainable women's apparel collection for B2B ordering and account management.
• Stoff4you.de online fabric store Online fabric store acquired by Frank Walder in 2023, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary and supporting the parent's vertical integration in fabric sourcing and supply.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration18 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Stoff4you.deminorOthers · 25 January 2023Frank Walder acquired the online fabric store Stoff4you.de from Villingen-Schwenningen. Purchase price was not disclosed. This acquisition supports vertical integration in fabric sourcing.
• TUZZIminorOthersYounger brand acquired in 2016 to appeal to a broader audience alongside the main Frank Walder brand.
• DHLcoreTechnology or IntegrationLogistics partner for shipping orders. Delivers within 2-3 business days to Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Netherlands. Customers receive email notifications with delivery dates and can set preferred delivery times or authorize drop-off at nearby Paketshop.
• PayPalcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline payment service provider for secure transactions in the Frank Walder e-commerce shop.
• Stripe Payments Europe LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment service provider for credit card transactions (Eurocard/Mastercard, Visa, American Express) in the online shop.
• Sendinblue GmbH (Brevo)coreTechnology or IntegrationNewsletter platform provider for email marketing communications with customers, including Brevo Chat for live chat support.
• CRIF Bürgel GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationCredit reporting agency used for creditworthiness checks on customers to ensure proper payment processing.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Talbots: US-based specialty retailer of classic women's apparel for women 50+, with own stores and DTC. Comparable on demographic, coordinated wardrobe merchandising and classic-elegant positioning, though in a different geography.
• Street One: German contemporary women's fashion brand owned by CBR Fashion, distributed through European wholesale and own stores. Comparable on mid-market positioning and B2B wholesale dependence.
• comma (CBR Fashion): German contemporary women's fashion brand in the CBR Fashion portfolio, positioned slightly more elegant than Street One. Comparable on wholesale-led European distribution and target demographic of women 35+.
• Samoon (Samoon GmbH): German women's apparel brand specializing in larger sizes (40–54) sold via wholesale and own online shop. Closely comparable on plus-size fit expertise and European wholesale reach.
• Betty Barclay: German family-owned women's fashion house (Sketch Group) selling classic-elegant collections through wholesale and own retail in Europe. Directly comparable on brand heritage, demographic and B2B/wholesale model.
• Gerry Weber International: German mid-market women's apparel group historically targeting women 45+, with own retail and wholesale across Europe. Most direct comparable on geography, customer demographic and channel mix.
• Ulla Popken: German plus-size women's apparel retailer operating own e-commerce and physical stores across Europe. Comparable on inclusive sizing, women-50+ focus and DTC + wholesale hybrid model.

Others

• Lenzing AG: Austrian sustainable fiber producer whose LENZING ECOVERO viscose Frank Walder uses across collections. Included as an ecosystem/enabling partner because the fiber partnership is integral to Frank Walder's sustainability positioning.

Emerging players

• Eileen Fisher: US-based women's apparel brand focused on simple, sustainable, design-led fashion with strong older-customer repeat base. Comparable on sustainability positioning and design-led women's apparel, though more premium.

Regional players

• Lands' End: US specialty apparel and DTC retailer with strong women 50+ customer base in classic, easy-care styles. Comparable on demographic and catalog-led / DTC marketing model, but primarily serves North America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@frankwalder
• Facebookfacebook.com/frankwalder1
• Instagraminstagram.com/frankwalder_official

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Frank Walder