Where does the name VAUDE come from?

Whether hiking, biking, or mountaineering, VAUDE accompanies many people on their outdoor adventures. But as familiar as the name is to many, two questions keep coming up: Where does the name VAUDE actually come from? And how do you pronounce it correctly?

The pronunciation is quite simple! VD [fau'de], like the two letters V and D on german spoken one after the other. The company name goes back to our Company founder Albrecht von Dewitz. The middle and last name initial was his early nickname, as he was amicably called that in his climbing group. Since VAUDE is a German company, the V and D are pronounced in German. This is exactly the most common misunderstanding, many who read VAUDE think the company name is pronounced English or French.

To make it less complicated, we simply auditioned this on Tiktok.

VAUDE is still a family business and owner-managed. Albrecht von Dewitz founded the company in 1974. In 2009, his daughter Antje von Dewitz took over the management of the company. Since then, VAUDE has continuously refined its environmental and social management practices. VAUDE publishes information on its initiatives, goals, and results in its sustainability report. 

So V and D, those are still the initials of the managing director and owner Antje von Dewitz: When we say "fau'de", we are also always a bit proud of the commitment and attitude of the von Dewitz family.