The World of TrunkFounder Mats Klingberg is redefining the menswear experience
Frustrated by London’s sartorial shortcomings, Swedish-born financier Mats Klingberg decided to do something about it. Identifying a lack of deftly curated contemporary menswear that was neither tailored Savile Row finery nor ubiquitous Bond Street brands, he opened Trunk - a cosy neighbourhood store in London’s Marylebone - to fill the gap.
Klingberg is no stranger to the notion of entrepreneurship undertaken with finesse, and his carefully chosen selection of menswear and accessories from Japan, Italy, the US, Sweden, the UK and beyond was an instant hit. Hong Kong shoppers will get the chance to see exactly why with the new Trunk experience launches exclusively at Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.
“Our loyal customers are smart, busy guys who tend to be in senior positions in global companies, banking or law firms, but also lots of creatives working in the fashion, media and art world who want nice, wearable and timeless clothes without all the fuss. Many of them actually don’t like shopping that much, so we try to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible for them.”
“The Trunk team travels frequently to find new brands, but our customers also travel a lot, so they need to have a wardrobe that reflects that and that can easily be combined in different ways to suit different situations.”
“Back then I did most of my own shopping on trips to Italy and Japan,” says Klingberg. “The brands I launched Trunk with pretty much mirrored the brands I already had in my own wardrobe. Several of these brands are still our best sellers, like Boglioli, Incotex, Alden, Aspesi and Barena.”
As well as offering a roster of international menswear brands that are not available anywhere else in London, Trunk is also notable for its service, which embraces a tactical approach for those who prefer to keep browsing to a minimum.
“There are lots of men out there that don’t have any problems making big business decisions, but really struggle when deciding which jacket, shirt or tie to get, so where needed, we work with our customers to help them find their own style and the pieces that work with that.”
It’s a philosophy that has gained Trunk a growing and loyal following, and an ethos that Klingberg says is based on, “Provenance, quality, timeless and effortless elegance - or simply ‘smart casual’.”
A DAY WITH MATS KLINGBERG
Mats Klingberg takes us to his favourite places in London