From Beirut’s backstreets to a London menswear staple – Trunk turns 15
Let’s go all the way back to summer 2010 and a warehouse on the edge of Beirut’s Bourj Hammoud district. It’s all a bit dusty and scrappy, the buildings are a jumble of architectural styles, there are Syrian and Egyptian men at the roadside drinking coffees around a teetering card table and, since we can see what’s happening around us, we know that we don’t have black sacks over our heads.
Inside one of the warehouses is an atelier where metal rods are being bent, wooden panels assembled and coffee poured for someone who is acting like the owner or creative force behind this venture, perhaps even both. We came to visit a gentleman by the name of Karim and check out the progress on a rather urgent project. A few days earlier, we spotted some smart-looking storage units in a local gallery, enquired about who made them and if we might be able to order a bunch with a snappy turnaround. “Why the urgency?” asked the chic gallerist. “I’m opening a menswear store in London called Trunk Clothiers in a few weeks and these are a perfect solution for displaying shirts,” explained Mats.
In typical Lebanese fashion we’re told that anything is possible and, less than 48 hours later, we’re in Beirut’s northern suburbs to inspect Karim’s wares. The units are looking better than in the gallery and, as we nod approvingly, an apprentice is already starting to wrap and box them. We’re also travelling with my mom and we’re all astounded at how quickly the order came together and by the quality of the workmanship. The following morning we entered Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport with a conga line of porters, mountains of boxes (we found another Karim who also made fine-looking fixtures with a weekend turnaround) and looks of steely determination to get the entire shopfit loaded as checked baggage for the flight back to Heathrow.
The MEA desk clerk looked unfazed by the train of trolleys, asked how many of us were travelling and instructed the porters to start putting the bags on the belt. When she enquired about what was in them, we explained the shop opening and our delight at having everything turned around so quickly. The woman smiled, stepped away and chatted to a man in a boxy suit a couple of desks along. As she walked back I braced myself for an extra baggage fee but instead she handed over the boarding passes. “Thank you for supporting makers in Lebanon,” she said. “Have a good flight and a good opening.”
Those fixtures still grace the shop floor of Trunk Clothiers on Chiltern Street and were looking particularly handsome on Thursday evening for the store’s 15th anniversary. In the spirit of full disclosure, Monocle’s holding company has a stake in Trunk and we’re proud of all that Mats and his London and Zürich teams have built. Running a fiercely independent, multi-brand menswear business is no easy task but thanks to a global base of customers who appreciate the best of Scotland, England, Austria, Italy, Germany, Japan and the US, Trunk manages to add a bit of funk to solid, timeless menswear. If you’re passing through London or Zürich over the coming days, please swing by and say hello to the crew. Cheers and happy birthday Trunk!
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