The House of Sljeme
Established as a trunk maker in 1921, Sljeme is a Croatian luxury fashion brand. Pronounced as sle-mee, it is a nickname for a mountain above Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, where company was founded. Sljeme means a mountain peak in Croatian and expresses company dedication to be always on top.
1887 Samuel Gati is born
Samuel Gati, Sljeme founder and Austro-Hungarian master trunkmaker, originates from Batina, a village on the Danube River in Baranya county, Croatia.
1921 Company foundation
Samuel Gati established Sljeme in the center of Zagreb, with the factory located at Medulićeva street № 12. The factory employed up to 130 skilled artisans.
EXPO 1925 Paris
Sljeme participated in the Universal Exhibition in Paris, where Art Deco was born, exhibiting their travel items and receiving a certificate of honor for their outstanding work.
EXPO 1929 Barcelona
Success was repeated at the International Exhibition of Barcelona where the certificate of honour was awarded.
EXPO 1937 Paris
Following the triumph from 1925, for the second time at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, Sljeme exhibited women’s handbags and travel bags.
1931 Royal Purveyor
Sljeme earns the Royal Purveyor status thankfully to Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark affection for luxury products, who was Sljeme client since 1928.
1941 New store
A new store was opened at the premium location, Ban Josip Jelačić Square, the central square in Zagreb.
The Second World War
The Second World War had devastating effects on Sljeme. Croatia, under fascist rule, introduced racial policy. As Samuel Gati was Jewish, he was stripped of the company and forced to escape together with his family. Eventually, Samuel Gati, his wife Elizabeth Szécsén, and their daughter Magdalena were arrested and in 1944 sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where only Magdalena Gati survived.
The end of The Second World War saw communists seizing power in Croatia. Sljeme is nationalised and as the symbol of pre-war luxury rebranded as Partisan Sljeme.
New factory and merger
During the 1950s and 1960s, Sljeme underwent several mergers under the communist central planned economy. Despite opening a new factory at the beginning of the 1960s, the brand was halted just a few years later in another merger.
2012 The new begining
After defeat of communism in Croatia, Sljeme was reestablished as a luxury fashion brand. Sljeme Archive was created with a goal of preserving company heritage, becoming world largest Sljeme collection.
Production was restarted with gloves, as they were the first product to get out of production. Focus is on driving gloves.
2013 Coppa Intereuropa
Sljeme trunk show took place at the Monza racetrack during the 61st Coppa Intereuropa Storica.
2014 Maserati
Sljeme X Maserati was a series of trunk shows in South East Europe where two brands joined forces for pleasure of petrolheads.
2015 Alpine
Collaboration Sljeme X Alpine Vision Gran Turismo resulted in Alpine driver wearing black Sljeme driving gloves.
2021 Centenary
Celebration of the first centenary.