A specially developed, thin rubber sole, exclusively designed fabrics, innovative ideas and many small details in conjunction with a high-quality slipper construction make Living Kitzbühel a special premium brand.
Managing Director Jürgen Langensiepen explains why the slippers from Living Kitzbühel are such a popular lifestyle product.
What thoughts come to mind when you think of the word ‘slipper’? And what do you associate with them?
The growing popularity of the slipper and the recent rise in its worth are as a result of the change in its value as a popular lifestyle item. Gone are the days of the boring single-purpose product. What’s in demand now are cheeky, funny, sporty designs that give the wearer a fashionable look at home. Basically, you want to feel comfortable at home and still be well dressed.
Guests like to be made to feel at home and spend their free time comfortably, like they would if they were in their own home. Not to mention that more and more people are working from home these days.
You're looking for more than a traditional slipper: You are looking for a versatile lifestyle product to help you look well-dressed indoors and outside. It should emphasize your personality and make you feel special, while still providing optimal comfort.
Of course the comfort, use of all-natural materials, durability, high quality finish and the innovative approaches to slipper design should not be ignored.
How can the models from Living Kitzbühel be classified in this association chain?
Novelty in innovation, creative design ideas, original materials and the highest quality standards have given the slipper a new look and made it a premium-class lifestyle product. All this is based on the natural materials wool, Loden wool and leather.
What are the special features of the slippers of Living Kitzbühel and what distinguishes them from the products of other manufacturers?
First of all, I would like to mention that all our footwear and wool fabrics are manufactured by our parent company, Moessmer AG based in South Tyrol. This was already being done more than 120 years ago for Emperor Franz Josef I, when a simple hunting utensil was made from weatherproof, indestructible Loden cape.
This long-standing tradition and wealth of knowledge has created the ability to make exclusive and individually designed fabrics for fashion designers from all over the world today. Paired with creative designing, this combination created distinctive fashion in keeping up with the latest trends. With great attention to detail and out-of-the-box vision, unique, handcrafted designs are created, and then manufactured with the greatest care in the production process, often being finished by hand.
The thin rubber outsole we developed 10 years ago has maximum flexibility and significantly better anti-slip properties compared to the conventional latex soles; theis rubber outsole provide a secure fit, a significantly longer life of the shoe and has the advantage of being weatherproof, allowing you to go outside in wet weather without getting wet feet.
As a whole-Tyrolean company, we attach great importance to the highest quality standards in all areas of production. We are unconditionally associated with a production site in Europe that guarantees the highest criteria in all production stages.
Many small details make Living Kitzbühel the special premium brand that will delight customers all over the world and make children's hearts beat faster with joy.
Sincerely and with dedication do what you love: fashion with passion!
And what image, what attitude do you want to project with your models?
Living Kitzbühel is a premium collection with special charm. What I do is draw parallels: Kitzbühel—probably the most charming city in the Alps—that is a concept, a myth. A synonym for modern cosmopolitanism, warm-hearted tradition and the typical 'Kitz-Flair'. In Kitzbühel, people, soul and spirit merge into an authentic symbol of unique quality of life. The same, unique blend of authenticity, natural materials and uniqueness is conveyed by Living Kitzbühel.
Which shoe from your brand best meets your personal requirements for a good slipper and why?
With the diversity offered in our range of slippers, you cannot narrow it down to a single model. After all, we have a huge range from size 16 baby shoes to size 48 menswear. In each slipper category, you will find models that meet the individual requirements of the customers. Below we show you some models that showcase the diversity within our brand.
They use natural (organic) methods when choosing materials. What makes the new wool fabrics so suitable for slippers and what are the special qualities that result?
Natural materials are becoming increasingly important to the discerning consumer. So the main material of our slippers is Walk. Walk is made of 100% virgin wool and is a pure natural product.
The word 'walk` comes from ancient verb 'walken' and means kneading or pushing. The Walk material is the result of washing knitwear. The knit shrinks by about a third and the fibers matte into each other. This where differences for the consumer become clear, because the longer the milling process lasts, the heavier and thus more durable the upper material becomes. Thus, the walk has all the advantages of pure new wool. It is breathable, temperature compensating, comfortable to wear and much more durable than knitwear!
What role does the design / visual appearance of slippers play in your perspective? Has this aspect gained importance?
That's the next big difference, because the customer attaches great importance to creative design in the spirit of the times. Whether applications, shapes and cuts, it should just be trendy. The need for special designs is also in demand.
Living Kitzbühel brand is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year—A good reason to pause and draw a little summary.
What are the key milestones and important development steps in your company history?
I think the most important milestone was the development of the thin rubber sole and to be able to fill a gap in the market by providing a sole that was far superior to the competitors' latex soles. It offered more skid resistance and less abrasion, consequently giving the slippers longer life/ enhanced durability and more safety.
Another important point is the fact that our parent company has accumulated over a century of experience and know-how, making us uniquely positioned in the world for innovative, exclusive and personalized fabrics right from the start.
The most important achievement for us has been the high satisfaction rate of our customers, and the many enthusiastic feedback reports on the design and the outstanding quality. This always gives us an incentive to get better and better.
We see our foundation as a commitment and originality as an inspiration for high-quality fashion in the spirit of the times and combine this with our cosmopolitanism.
Which slipper models best embody the current direction of the Living Kitzbuhel brand?
This is best expressed in pictures that you will see below:
What’s in store for the future? What can the fans of Living Kitzbühel expect when it comes to design, functionality, further developments or expansion of the product range?
We will continue to offer our fans innovative designs that match current trends. In addition, we will continue to uphold our basic values such as naturalness, comfort, high quality and quality standards.
Of course, we are also working on expanding our product range, which we will gladly present to you at the appropriate time.
