Ellen Wille

A woman, a company, a brand

The personal career of Ellen Wille is the fascinating story of a successful self-made woman. Her biography is inextricably linked to the history of the company that bears her name.
The corporate philosophy of ellen wille THE HAIR-COMPANY is shaped by Ellen Wille's commitment to the highest quality - after all, this is what she stands for with her name - and her cooperative, fair and very personal approach to business partners. Read here how the hair designer created a global brand from a small company.
Ellen Wille's professional career begins with a suitcase full of ideas. After stays in the fashion capitals of Paris and London, she returned to Germany and laid as an independent sales representative the foundation for her company, with great diligence, sales talent and a keen sense for fashionable trends. Due to the worldwide wig boom of the late sixties and early seventies, the company expanded.
Back then hair replacement was not associated with illness and weakness, but seen as a fashion accessory. Hairpieces were added to the product range and international cooperation with the USA and Asia began.

Ellen Wille established many of the elements of today's corporate design as early as in the eighties.

The curly logo of the company came into the spotlight and the ellen wigs were advertised with the slogan "...the one with the golden curl". Due to the great demand, the small specialist shop in downtown Frankfurt became a limited company. The Ellen Wille hairCenter was born, where the world of Ellen Wille could be experienced and direct contact with the customers nurtured. In the nineties, the administrative headquarters moved to Schwalbach am Taunus to accommodate the steady growth in number of employees and the need for storage space. Despite the structure, which has now grown to around 160 employees, a family-like atmosphere is still embedded in the company’s DNA.

In the new millennium, the hair designer channelled her ideas into various new lines. In 2000, Ellen Wille launched the Raquel Welch Collection onto the European market for the first time. In addition, she created specialised collections in human hair, for men and fashionable headwear. With Prime Hair, an advanced mix of human hair and heat-resistant synthetic hair fibres, Ellen Wille set new impulses and cemented the innovation leadership of her company. Ellen Wille received several awards for her creative and entrepreneurial work.

With Prime Hair, an advanced mix of human hair and heat-resistant synthetic hair fibres, Ellen Wille set new impulses and cemented the innovation leadership of her company. Ellen Wille received several awards for her creative and entrepreneurial work. In 2011, the Hair Society Collection was awarded the Prix Palme D’Ors for most beautiful collection at the World Congress for Hair Solutions. One model from the collection also won the prize for lightest wig.

2017 was an important year for both the founder personally and her company. Under the motto "50 Years of Success", the company celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. The same year, Ellen Wille also established the non-profit Ellen Wille Foundation, which is involved in youth welfare, education and vocational training.

In 2019, the Frankfurt shop has been enlarged and turned into a flagship store. The company conquered new markets and is now represented in more than 50 countries. The dynamically growing company builds the basis for continuous development to successfully meet future market challanges in regards to internationalsation.

In October 2019, ellen wille THE HAIR-COMPANY appointed Ralf Billharz as additional Managing Director. With this reinforcement, the dynamically growing company creates the basis for continuous development. This new structure means that ellen wille is ready to successfully meet future market challenges with regard to internationalisation, digitalisation and innovation in the areas of products and services.

The next step in the company's development is the move to a new administration and logistics centre in the Bad Homburg industrial park. The move will take place in two phases. In summer 2024, the logistics division will first move into the new, state-of-the-art central warehouse. The administration will follow in 2026.

Unfortunately, company founder Ellen Wille did not live to see the company's new era in Bad Homburg. She passed away in April 2024 after a short, serious illness, but had already ensured during her lifetime that the independent company could continue in the tradition she had founded. Today, the continuation of Ellen Wille's life's work is the legacy of the company management and the values of the visionary and creative founder form the core of the corporate philosophy of ellen wille The Hair-Company GmbH.