Fritz Hansen started the company October 24, 1872 in Copenhagen; initially the small company specialized in the manufacture of small furniture parts. In 1915 the first Danish chair in steam bentwood was launched at Fritz Hansen's new factory in Alleroed north of Copenhagen. It was an immediate success, and in the next decades many pieces of functional furniture in steam bentwood left the factory. In the mid 20s Fritz Hansen started a serious and productive teamwork with leading furniture designers like Jaime Hayon. This kind of teamwork has characterized Fritz Hansen ever since. Since the beginning of the 1930s Fritz Hansen has adhered to the philosophy: to manufacture beautiful furniture in top quality in an industrial production process. The cooperation with architect Arne Jacobsen began in 1934. However, it was the laminated wooden chair, the Ant from 1952, became the biggest success in Danish furniture history. The cooperation with Jacobsen generated a number of laminated chairs but also other world acclaimed furniture such as the Egg and the Swan from 1958.