In the late 80s and early 90s when snowboards were so much cooler than skis among younger consumers, the apparel market was lagging behind. This inspired two young Swiss snowboarders, Thomas Meyer and Reto Kuster, to produce their own snowboarding outfits.

In the heat of the summer in 1995 they started to sew jackets and pants in the garage. The small volume production of 15 pieces each was made for their snowboarding friends. The idea was to create high performance garments that are stylish enough to be worn on the mountain slopes as well as in the cafes in the valley later on.

The innovation was not only to combine performance function and style in a unique way, but as well to make product and production as eco-friendly and as sustainable as possible.

The brand name „Zimtstern“ as label for the innovative line was witty and as well a reflection of the basic ideas: alpine pleasure in the winter season, homemade, best ingredients, exotic spice, made for friends.