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Making extraordinary people happy with extraordinary ideas and creations: That's the declared goal of the South Tyrolean brand Luis Trenker. One could certainly describe the man who served the siblings Michi and Hansjörg Klemera as the namesake for their fashion brand as extraordinary. Trenker made the leap from Val Gardena to Hollywood and the rest of the world. His path led him in and over the mountains.

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Trenker's story begins in 1892, when he was born Alois Franz Trenker in the small village of Ortisei. Already during his school years he hired himself out as a mountain guide. A fascination that would never let him go, even though he initially studied architecture in Vienna and Graz. Further stations lead Trenker to the front in World War I and to the 1924 Winter Olympics as a five-man bobsledder. He had already had his first taste of film in 1921. Trenker, who had actually been hired as a mountain guide for the film Berg des Schicksals (Mountain of Destiny), stepped in as the leading actor without further ado. He celebrated his debut as a director in 1930 with The Son of the White Mountains, but the leap to Hollywood was not too great. Trenker also celebrated successes as a writer and advanced to become a not uncontroversial figure. Before he died in Bolzano in 1990, he could look back on an eventful life - which was ultimately closely connected with nature conservation, but throughout his life deeply tied with the mountains.

Ten part promise

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The positive traces that Trenker has left behind and the values that the name symbolizes - tradition, creativity, authenticity and love of nature as well as freedom, sustainability and individuality - are also what brand founder Michi Klemera still associates with Trenker today. In a ten-part manifesto, he records what the brand stands for. It wants to clothe the body and touch the soul, radiate joie de vivre and inspire. Alpine nonchalance meets elegant Mediterranean flair. From the first sketch to the last needle stitch, the clothes are manufactured in traditional handicraft workshops and by small family businesses. The company deliberately distances itself from fast-moving trends and fast fashion; every piece in the collection is intended to give pleasure for years to come. The concept is well received: Today there are 14 stores in Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland, as well as in selected hotels and stores as a store in store concept.

Web: luistrenker.com