Who would have thought? The success story of the uvex brand began in a small workshop in the Poppenreuth district of Fürth: Here, company founder Philipp M. Winter produced the first safety goggles in 1926 – at that time still in elaborate manual work. Soon his products were in demand not only among workers and craftsmen: already in the 1930s he also equipped athletes with ski and motorcycle goggles.
How did it come about? Even at a young age, Philipp M. Winter, born on 3 May 1898 in Furth im Wald, pursued ambitious entrepreneurial goals. After attending grammar school in Fürth, Bavaria, he began his professional career in 1919, after the First World War, at the optical trading company A. Lehmann in Fürth. As an export salesman, he worked in European field service with a focus on Spain and Portugal and, around three years later, ventured into his first self‑employment: “Felipe Winter Barcelona Pasaje de la Paz 10” was the name of the first optical wholesale business he opened. During this time, he also met Kunigunde Eskofier, whom he married shortly afterwards in Barcelona.
In 1926 he returned to Fürth together with his wife and founded the “Optische Industrie‑Anstalt Philipp M. Winter”. Already the first business card clearly showed his entrepreneurial goals: “Speciality: safety goggles of all kinds.”
In the following decades, Philipp M. Winter consistently expanded the company and led it to success with innovative spirit and entrepreneurial foresight. Under his leadership, the product range and production capacities were continuously expanded, so that uvex evolved into a recognized brand for safety and sports eyewear. After a fulfilled entrepreneurial life, Philipp M. Winter passed away in 1970 and left a flourishing company to his son Rainer Winter.
