Mats Klingberg invites you to step away from the hustle and find moments of calm running the trails in Zurich.
Mats Klingberg, the globetrotting founder of Trunk, is a must-follow for crib notes on menswear, travel and food. In a world full of noise, he is a gentle reminder that a curious mind, great design and a considered approach speak volumes.
With shops in Marylebone's hotspot, Chiltern Street, and in Zurich's leafy Seefeld quarter --- where Mats goes, we follow.
What have been highlights for you as a business owner? What do you wish you'd figured out sooner?
There’s been lots of highlights over the years from the openings of the shops in London and Zurich, the first customers coming in, but to still be around fourteen years in and all the lovely and loyal customers we have around the world as well as my team is what makes it all worth it and that keeps me going.
Running a business can be very rewarding, but also very challenging, and in my case I think it’s been more of a good thing not to have realised too soon how hard it can actually be at times.
How long have you been running?
I’ve been running as long as I can remember. I grew up in a small town south of Stockholm and had a forest with lots of good running paths out the back of the house. I loved to head out for a run in the summer months and in the winter I did cross country skiing on the same paths.
When I lived in Stockholm (and now when I visit) a run along Djurgardsbrunnskanalen is my favourite, in London it’s a run around Regents Park including a spring up Primrose Hill and in New York nothing beats a run around Central Park. I’m not a big fan of running on a treadmill, but when in Tokyo a run in the gym on the top floor of Park Hyatt, with a view of Mount Fuji, takes your breath away.
What’s your relationship with running like – in the past and now?
For me it’s always been more of a meditative thing than a fitness thing (although the fitness benefits are of course there), so I’m more of a 5-10k runner than anything more, including marathons, which I’ve never done. When I wake up I can’t wait to put my runners on and just get out to breathe some fresh air, clear my mind and wake up the body for the day ahead.
Do you enjoy running in a city or is it a means to an end? How is running in Zurich different from other cities?
My preference is to run close to nature in one way or another, like a park, forest, lake, beach or ocean, but I think running is a great way to discover a city. I love to head out without a clear destination or path in mind and just see where my feet take me. I keep an eye on where the locals seem to be heading and have discovered lots of nice places this way.
A run along the lake or one of the rivers is the most obvious and easy to find in Zurich, but because many routes are somewhat hidden in the forest, it can be a bit more difficult to find good routes compared to other cities.
Favourite routes to run in Zurich and why?
In Zurich I enjoy running along the lake, but what many visitors might not realise is that you can be in a forest just a five minute run up the hill depending where you are. There are lots of great running paths in the forest and my daily run is usually a combination of running along the lake followed by a run along a river slightly uphill, past a lake, through a cornfield and then down the hill back home again.
Do you use any studios in Zurich for strength work or cross training?
At the moment not. I’ve been doing quite a lot of yoga and pilates in studios in the past, but prefer working out outdoors and not having a schedule to stick to. Now I do strength work at home, mostly body weight on my yoga mat, but I recently got some dumbbells that I now enjoy using.
Favourite places in Zurich to find:
Rest
Anywhere along the lake…
Reflection -- places where you like to go to think.
I think better when I’m moving, so that's why I go running..
Nourishment -- could be places to eat or favourite cultural places that nourish your soul.
Momentum -- places you go to work and make things happen.
Work!
One final tip for anyone running in Zurich?
Make the effort of finding all the great running paths in the forest! The forest comes down like lungs into the city, so while you might not realise the forest can basically start just around the corner from where you are.
Follow Mats @matsklingberg and learn more about Trunk: trunkclothiers.com
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