As you stroll through the charming centre of Kitzbühel you will soon notice that one name appears more often than any other: Eder. There are, in fact, no fewer than seven Eder shops selling elegant and traditional Tirolean clothing. Founded more than 40 years ago by Helmut and Edeltraud "Traudi" Eder, they are now run by the couple's children and continue to offer fine menswear and ladieswear for discerning dressers.
For the Eder family, wearing traditional dress (known as "Tracht" and normally comprising Lederhosen for men and Dirndl for women) symbolises a connection between past and present as well as a fusion of pride in Tirol and openness to other countries and cultures. It is a question of style and an expression of a certain attitude towards life.
The measure of the miraculous
While Traudi is the one who scouts the world for new ideas, Helmut is the one who sits down at the sewing machine and turns these visions into reality. The couple also offer their own haute couture line bearing the name Trachten Couture Eder and combining both off-the-peg designs by international designers as well as made-to-measure clothing. After all, traditional clothing for men and women looks at its very best when it fits perfectly.
As the 18th century mathematician Georg Christoph Lichtenberg once said: "We ourselves are the measure of the miraculous. Were we to seek a common measure, the miraculous would disappear and all things be reduced to the same size."
For the Eder family, wearing traditional dress (known as "Tracht" and normally comprising Lederhosen for men and Dirndl for women)…
