The Founder

"True human goodness, in all its purity and freedom, can come to the fore only when its recipient has no power. Mankind's true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it."
Milan Kundera, “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”

Ellen Beran, née Steib, born in 1938 in Nuremberg, grew up amidst motor bikes and agricultural machinery. Her father, Joseph Steib, was owner of “Steib Metallbau”, a company which constructed motorbike side-cars and, later on, agricultural machinery.  Ellen Beran worked for 12 years in the administration of her father’s company before launching her own jeans store chain under the name Western Store, the first branches of which were opened in Nuremberg, Düsseldorf and Würzburg.Together with her husband Dieter A. Beran, who was able to contribute extensive experience in the textiles field, she continued to expand the business further. Today it is called “Mister*Lady Jeans”, is headquartered in Nuremberg and operates as a successful, expansion-orientated clothing chain with over 250 shops and around 2000 employees in Germany as well as Austria.Committed as Ellen Beran was to her work, she always found time for her family and also her animals – quite particularly dogs and horses – which were an important part of her life. Today she shares this love with her daughter Anja and wholeheartedly supports the work of the Anja Beran Stiftung.