Our Story
THE JOURNEY THAT NEVER REALLY ENDED, BUT INSPIRED US FOR A LIFETIME.
We are Daniel and Christoph and we are living our dream. Although we are both very different, we share a great passion: traveling. We founded the DRAKENSBERG label because we want to inspire people to recognize the true value of travel and to strive for it. To see the journey as a destination and to grow from it. Because we believe that a good trip can change a whole life.
When we first met around 30 years ago, we were both on a winter holiday with our families. Our shared passion for snowboarding, which was a rather fringe sport at the time, inevitably brought us together. The many shared adventures on the slopes quickly developed into a close friendship that has continued to this day.
The safari of our lives
The journey that changed our lives took us across South Africa more than 20 years ago. When we wanted to drive from Cape Town to the Drakensberg. But we never got there.
It was mid-2001 when Daniel traveled to Cape Town for a semester abroad. Due to his tight schedule, Daniel was not able to see much of South Africa in the first few months. He was looking forward to the mid-term exams, as there would be no classes for two weeks afterwards. As the deadline approached and Daniel wanted to start planning his route, unfortunately no one among his fellow students wanted to accompany him on the trip. So Daniel didn't think long about which of his friends who stayed at home he could spontaneously get excited about such a trip. A few minutes later, Christoph's phone rang and a few days later Christoph landed at Cape Town International Airport.
The idea was to drive away from the coast, through the interior via Oudtshoorn, then along the coast via Port Elizabeth, East London and Kokstad into the Drakensberg. On the way back we want to drive back to Cape Town on the legendary Garden Route.
But things turned out differently
We lost our hearts to South Africa. To the hospitality, the breathtaking landscapes, the incredible wildlife and of course to braai and South African wine. The South African way of life.
On our trip we mostly stayed overnight in bed and breakfasts that we had booked beforehand during the trip. Our hosts, sometimes farmers, sometimes expats, sometimes retirees, always welcomed us with open arms and introduced us to South Africa. The stories and culture were as different as our hosts. A reflection of the diversity that makes South Africa so unique. That's why it was hard to say goodbye sometimes and sometimes we liked the area so much that we stayed for 1-2 nights. The 2 weeks went by quicker than you can finish a bottle of Pinotage.
Countless experiences
The impressions we were able to gather in these two weeks had such an emotional impact that we cannot forget them to this day. It is just as difficult to name absolute highlights as it is to not mention seemingly smaller highlights. There was the de Hoop National Park, which captivated us with its endless sand dunes and deserted sandy beaches. Or the trip to Hermanus, where we really wanted to watch whales and were close to giving up when we were able to observe a mother whale with a newborn calf up close in a deserted bay. Or the jump into the almost 400m deep gorge below the famous Bloukrans Bridge, one of the four highest bungee facilities in the world with a jump depth of 213m.
THE PATH BECAME THE GOAL
It quickly became clear that we would not reach the Drakensberg. We quickly realised that this was no longer so important. We began to realise what the essence of a good trip is. It is not about ticking places off a list and quickly taking a few souvenir photos. A good trip means learning. About life and about yourself. The DRAKENSBERG brand will always remind us of this. Because the journey was our real destination.
We have told this story many times over the past few years, to our friends, acquaintances and families. We have always been able to evoke the same emotion: FOMO - "fear of missing out". This is exactly the feeling that has overcome us time and time again.
How we got the bags
On one of our later trips, Daniel discovered an old canvas and leather travel bag at an antiques market that looked as if it was already 100 years old and had seen the whole world. The bag was to gain a few more air miles and quickly became the ultimate symbol of many beautiful trips, adventures and memories.
What Daniel couldn't have imagined when he bought it was how often he would be asked about this travel bag. "Wow, nice bag!", "Where do you get something like that?" And so the daring idea of starting a production of historical travel luggage was born. And then the real challenge began. We still had to find a production facility for our ambitious idea.
Our motto was to stay as close as possible to the historical originals without making any compromises. Despite intensive research, most of the leads led nowhere. Many companies that produced bags of this kind had already given up production or had long since switched to mass production. We were bombarded with rejections and were on the verge of giving up. Then came January 1st, 2012. The phone rang at 10am. Daniel answered. And a familiar voice answered. It was Randhir from New Delhi, an old friend, a real philanthropist with whom Daniel had not been in contact for an eternity. It was the perfect surprise. There was so much to talk about and then Daniel told him about the idea of founding a company and producing historical travel bags. Randhir was excited and convinced that such factories still existed in India. He set out to find them. A month later, Christoph and Daniel were on a plane on their way to India. And soon our first prototypes were created. Randhir had actually found the right factory that could still produce like it had 100 years ago.
He was the missing piece of the puzzle. It was only with his help that our idea became a real company. And an idealistic duo became a successful trio.
We are friends, we are travelers, we are DRAKENSBERG.