“We have a bit of a fetish for it”: Upper Bavaria founds a lederhosen start-up – and finds a gap in the market

Created: 09/08/2022, 13:46

By: Stefan Weinzierl

Toasting their Lederhosen shop: (from left) Alexander Götzner, Christoph Schulz and Simon Werner.

© Lederhosen Junkies

Three young entrepreneurs create very individual models for customers: the Lederhosen Junkies Alexander Götzner, Christoph Schulz and Simon Werner from Siegertsbrunn.

Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn

– Leather trousers for particularly firm thighs?

Can be done.

A buckskin with the company coat of arms emblazoned on it?

Will be done.

Maybe one with an extra pocket for your cell phone or pocket watch?

No problem.

At the "Lederhosen Junkies" in Siegertsbrunn, almost all wishes are fulfilled.

Because the young entrepreneurs Alexander Götzner (31), Simon Werner (29) and Christoph Schulz (33) do not offer any goods off the shelf.

"With us, everyone gets their lederhosen exactly how they imagined them," says Schulz.

Lederhosen junkies from Siegertsbrunn: “We have a bit of a fetish for lederhosen”

In the small shop on Bahnhofstrasse in Siegertsbrunn, more than a dozen lederhosen hang on the wall.

None is like the other.

One deerskin is grey, the next black.

There are light and dark pants, one is only tanned without dyeing.

The buttons, embroidery patterns and colors are also very different.

Lime green leaves and deer are emblazoned on one pair of lederhosen, while the pattern on the other is so subtle that you can hardly see it.

Eleven of the exhibits belong to Simon Werner.

"We have a bit of a fetish for lederhosen," he says about himself and his friend Götzner, laughing.

Werner owns a total of 21 deer skins, Götzner only has slightly fewer.

"And I wear them all," emphasizes Werner.

"I'll change my pants - and decide according to the shape of the day."

Founded her own lederhosen start-up in addition to her jobs

You no longer need to ask why the two of them founded their own Lederhosen start-up alongside their jobs, even during the pandemic at the beginning of 2021. "We just felt like it," says the 29-year-old .

They were aware of the risk that without folk festivals and with severe restrictions on family celebrations, the demand for lederhosen would stagnate.

But their success proves them right.

First they sold the deer skins to friends and acquaintances, and the customer base was significantly expanded, mainly through word of mouth.

By the way: everything from the region is also available in our regular District Munich newsletter.

In any case, they have filled a gap in the market with their tailor-made, one-of-a-kind lederhosen.

They sell each customer exactly the pants they want.

“There are an extremely large number of suppliers, even for tailor-made trousers,” says Schulz, who joined the company a few months later and is responsible for marketing and sales, “but they basically always have the same model with a few variants.

With us you get numerous variations just by the choice of leather.”

Lederhosen Junkies: All models made from chamois tanned deerskin

The trio only offers one basic product: chamois tanned deerskin.

"It's softer, more breathable and more durable than leather from other animals," explains Werner.

"And the most comfortable to wear," adds Schulz.

But that was it with the monotony.

Now you can choose whether you prefer leather with leather flaws from the animal's traces of life or whether you prefer classic fine leather, the color selection ranges from natural to black.

There are 15 different leather colors - and over 250 embroidery colors.

There are almost no limits when selecting the embroidery pattern.

The "Lederhosen Junkies" offer customers several templates, but most of them bring their own motifs with them.

Just like a customer who, according to Schulz, had lived in India for a long time and therefore wanted two large purple elephants with golden crowns on their heads embroidered on the lederhosen in addition to his initials.

"Another customer wanted shillings as buttons," says Werner.

"He brought the coins himself, we had them reworked by the local goldsmith." Unusual, the two say, was also the wish of a customer who wanted an inside pocket in the bib of the lederhosen.

"For what, we don't know," says Werner.

Lederhosen Junkies: The lederhosen cost between 1200 and 1600 euros gross

So much individualism is of course expensive - and has its price.

The lederhosen sold by the junkies cost between 1,200 and 1,600 euros gross.

Depending on whether the trousers are embroidered by machine or by hand, you have to reckon with a delivery time of between three and twelve months.

The customers accept all of this, says Schulz: “Most of the time, people have one or two leather trousers – and then wear them for the rest of their lives.

Then they want something special – and it’s worth it to them.”

The partners the trio works with come from southern Germany, from processing to production.

"We try to stay as regional as possible in the industry," says Werner.

They get the leather from Poland.

"The deer are bigger there," explains Schulz.

They have continuously expanded their range.

In their shop they now also offer shoes, stockings, T-shirts, belts, care products and handmade knives.

In the foreseeable future there will also be shirts and tailored waistcoats.

Negotiations are currently underway with a vest maker in Lenggries.

That pleases Werner, who is addicted to lederhosen: "Then we actually have everything that goes with traditional costumes, apart from hats."

You can find more current news from the district of Munich at Merkur.de/Landkreis München.