Bernd T. Dibbern, founder of the renowned Dibbern brand, passed away on 20 March 2022 aged 80.
Known as the “porcelain king” and “the man who brings quality to the table” – the high regard in which Bernd T. Dibbern and his company have been held by the public for decades speaks for itself. Friends, employees and business partners of the company he founded in 1966 have bid farewell to a very special personality who devoted himself with great dedication to the glass, porcelain and ceramics industry in the field of tableware.
Bernd T. Dibbern was considered a visionary when he started his career in the 1960s as an importer for Scandinavian designer brands. In 1982, he achieved his international breakthrough as a lifestyle brand with the Solid Color product line. The series, based on a form from the early 1930s, was awarded various design prizes. To this day, Dibbern is known for Solid Color – simple form combined with a modern color palette. True to his company credo: “Our philosophy is to combine traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design.”
The affectionate words of his sons Jan and Ben, which describe his way of life, are in keeping with this. “Less is more. Our father thought and lived by this motto in many ways, and it is also reflected in the Dibbern collections.”
As a successful entrepreneur far beyond the borders of Germany, Bernd T. Dibbern enjoyed the greatest recognition. He himself designed successful series such as the colorful Solid Color and the elegant Fine Bone China in the Bauhaus style.
In 1997, Dibbern GmbH took over the traditional porcelain factory in Hohenberg an der Eger (formerly C.M. Hutschenreuther) near the Czech border and has been producing the fine bone china there ever since. By producing his own tableware, he saved 100 jobs in the former Hutschenreuther factory. For this he received the Federal Cross of Merit in 2003 for the “preservation of the porcelain location Hohenberg and services to the economic region Northeast Upper Franconia”.
Fine bone china is one of the most sophisticated porcelains in terms of technology and craftsmanship today. This series is used to set the tables in the Vier Jahreszeiten Hotel and the Bulgari Hotel Dubai, as well as in the German Chancellery, in Lufthansa First Class, on the MS Europa and in New York’s luxury Park Hyatt hotel.
The generational change in the Dibbern company began in 2011. Both sons of the entrepreneur joined the company and successfully lead the business today. They will always remember him with gratitude and reverence and will continue to run the company in his spirit.
Bernd T. Dibbern is survived by his wife and four children.
