“ESTD. 1901”: The Bathrobe of the Year? You Can’t Buy it.

Sanitary products manufacturer Hansgrohe is launching a textile collection with content creator Ben Bernschneider to mark its 125th anniversary – and is deliberately making it unavailable for purchase.

Schiltach, May 2026. It will be hanging in the wardrobes of select influencers and content creators around the world: deep Hansgrohe green, embroidered emblem, crafted from fine materials – and impossible to buy. No drop, no online store, not even by request. The bathrobe from Hansgrohe’s limited “ESTD. 1901” collection is one of the most exclusive textile pieces of the year. And that is entirely intentional.

Belle Époque Meets High-Tech Swimwear

To mark its 125th anniversary, Hansgrohe – best known as a manufacturer of designer showers and faucets – has done something no one expected: it created swimwear. The “ESTD. 1901” collection includes an iconic bathrobe in rich dark green, as well as a swimwear line for men and women. The designs take inspiration from the high-necked, elegant silhouettes of the turn of the 20th century, while translating them uncompromisingly into the present day. As if someone had taken an old family portrait from 1900 and run it through an Instagram filter from 2026.

“Hansgrohe has spent 125 years defining how water feels on skin. This collection is the textile response to exactly that sensation,” says Jörg Hass, Vice President Corporate Communications at Hansgrohe SE.

Ben Bernschneider, a Bollenhut, and Black Forest Cherry Cake

Who brings it all to life? Ben Bernschneider. The Hamburg-based author and content creator is the face of the campaign – and few could have been a better fit. In the campaign film, shot at the luxury hotel The Fontenay in Hamburg, Bernschneider wears the bathrobe with his trademark dry humor. Around him: Black Forest cherry cake arranged as a still life, a traditional Bollenhut leaning in the hotel hallway, and a bottle of Rothaus Tannenzäpfle placed next to an AXOR showerhead. The Black Forest meets the Alster. Heritage meets the present.

Bernschneider himself was convinced from the very beginning: “What fascinates me is how a company keeps delivering innovation across multiple eras and generations without betraying its own heritage. If Hansgrohe had created a collection you could buy, it would have worked – but it would have turned into merch. And merch dies in the closet. These pieces have a reason to exist.”

125 Pieces. Worldwide. That’s It.

The swimwear items in the collection were produced exactly 125 times – in line with the anniversary year – and will be distributed exclusively to selected influencers and content creators. The bathrobes are gifts from Hansgrohe to customers and partners, from the Black Forest to Tokyo. Anyone wearing a piece from this collection becomes part of a story that began in 1901 in a small village in the Black Forest.

To the campaign film

About the Hansgrohe Group – Setting the Beat of Water. Since 1901.

The Hansgrohe Group, with its AXOR and hansgrohe brands, is based in the Black Forest town of Schiltach in Southern Germany and is considered one of the leading companies in the bathroom and kitchen industry. Founded in 1901 and known for its innovative spirit, excellently designed products, and strong quality, the company develops and manufactures faucets, showerheads, and shower systems that give water both form and function. Combined with sanitary ceramics and bathroom furniture, Hansgrohe offers holistic bathroom solutions from a single source. Unique innovations such as the first hand-held shower with multiple spray types, the first pull-out kitchen faucet, and the first shower bar have shaped the company’s 125-year history. More than 15,000 active property rights underscore Hansgrohe’s commitment to innovation. The company stands for long-lasting quality and responsibility toward people and the environment. Sustainability is firmly embedded in its business practices – from resource-efficient manufacturing to technologies that help protect water as a resource and contribute to limiting and adapting to climate change. As part of its “ECO 2030” initiative, the company will equip all water-bearing products exclusively with water-saving technologies by 2030. With 35 subsidiaries, 23 sales offices, and distribution in more than 145 countries, the Hansgrohe Group operates worldwide. Since 1974, its brands and products have received more than 800 design awards. Hansgrohe products can be found in renowned cruise ships, international 5-star and boutique hotels, exclusive spas, luxury private bathrooms, as well as numerous public and private construction projects across the globe. High quality standards are ensured by eight wholly owned production sites – four in Germany and one each in France, Serbia, the United States, and China. In the 2025 fiscal year, the Hansgrohe Group generated revenue of EUR 1.375 billion and employed around 5,600 people worldwide, about 60 percent of them in Germany.