“We take a ‘Made in Austria’ as a committment. We aspire to make top-quality fashion that is suitable for the everyday, that looks chic and feels great to wear. Before all else, fashion should be fun.” - Ulli Ehrlich
The Sportalm collections reflect that special feeling of the Kitzbühel way of life. Internationality and regionality intertwine. For women who love Sportalm, local origins and the modern urban world fit effortlessly together. Innovative functional fabrics are manufactured using proven traditional handiwork techniques. Design insouciantly references historical patterns. In this way we originate distinctive clothing with a love of detail, clothing of the highest quality which is authentic and exclusively manufactured in Europe.
Sportalm emphasizes a sensual and confident personality - the wearer is always the main focus. Simply put, whoever wears Sportalm needs no disguise.
Best of all, the family name Ehrlich rings true (Ehrlich means honest): Do what you love, with honesty and dedication. Fashion with heart and soul.
9 Sportalm Shops & Outlets
1200 Traders
44 Countries
Kitzbühel Headquarter
55 Million Total Turnover 2010
168 in Kitzbühel, 650 in Bulgaria Employees
Kitzbühel, Austria, Madan-Varbina, Bulgaria Production Sites
40% Tracht, 80% Ski Wear, 70% e.Motion, 90% Girbaud Export Share
A veritable family business, the Sportalm brand owes its success to the strong familiy ties and skills of all its members. Together, this longstanding, traditional company and its faithful employees make Sportalm one of the most successful businesses in the Austrian textiles industry.
After 5 years as managing director of Sportalm, Wilhelm Ehrlich bought the business in 1980 and steered it consistently on the course to success. He manages to reconcile his keen business sense and grip on reality with a pioneering spirit and passion. Herta Ehrlich contributes decades of fashion and sales experience to the equation. She manages the first Sportalm store in Kitzbühlel since 1979 and is at the same time Sportalm’s best customer. Ulli Ehrlich has assisted her father at Sportalm since the beginning of the 90s. The entire Sportalm product range owes its dynamic character to her creative leadership. She always finds a fresh approach in coveying a unique attitude toward life in her collections - combining international flair with local tradition. Christina Ehrlich majorly contributes to the business side of the company and unfailingly keeps a clear head in making important decisions. After more than 30 years in the company, Renate Loidl now heads the finance department and since 2009 is a member of the executive board.
The highly motivated people who work on our products are the lifeblood of the company and deserve to share in the success of the business. It goes without saying that Sportalm provides fair wages and working conditions, both in Kitzbühel and Bulgaria. We want out workers to feel secure and in good hands and for this reason we offer only permanent positions. In 2010, we distributed a 200 000 Euro bonus among our employees to show our appreciation. Afterall, without them it would not be possible to achieve the exceptionally high product quality that our customers expect from us.
Sportalm places eco-efficiency and sustainable production in the foreground.
The proximity of our production to our headquarters in Kitzbühel not only makes it possible for us to ensure the quality of every single product, but also has a positive effect on our overall ecological impact. The short haul economises CO2 emissions and avoids deadheading as well as unneccessary packaging. As a business located in one of Austria’s most beautiful landscapes, it’s only natural that environmental conservation is a matter of the heart for us.
Our production has been situated in St Johanner Street in Kitzbühel for nigh on 50 years. Use of the latest technology combined with innovative warehouse regulation ensure a progressive production proccess. We also support traditional local craftsmanship, since our Trachten are manufactured in Tyrol. Up to now some 600 employees in two manufacturing plants in Bulgaria find themselves part of our family company. Here we manufacture our Ski and e.motion collections. This is a clear affirmation of our dedication to quality, the production costs being of course higher than somewhere in Asia, making us an exception amongst producers of ski fashion.
„As a responsible internationally active business, we take our commitment to society seriously and sponsor several social projects.“ – Ulli Ehrlich
The Tyrol based charity “Kindern eine Chance” (A Chance for Children) sponsors orphan children in Uganda. The children, predominantly orphaned through AIDS are helped along life’s journey through the sustainable funding of their education. The project is active in four locations in Uganda, currently providing 420 children with education, food, clean drinking water, medication and shelter.
Sportalm also supported the initiative in the construction of two schools, dedicated to the late husband of Ulli Ehrlich.
http://www.kinderneinechance.at/
“Women lie close to our hearts. Women are our customers and women are also our employees. It's also women that have made us a successful business. Therefore we support this campaign and are happy to carry our little load so that those affected can get immediate help without red tape and naturally also to raise public awareness for this issue” – Ulli Ehrlich
In 1992 Evelyn Lauder brought “Pink Ribbon” to life in order to sponsor international breast cancert support. The pink ribbon is a strong symbol for the hope of treatment and recovery. Since the development of the initiative, every October is officially declared breast cancer month and through various activities, awareness of breast cancer support is raised with great success. We have taken part since 2009 and so far have dedicated a Dirndl and a T Shirt to the “pink ribbon” cause.
Since 1992, the Life Ball in Vienna is the largest charity event in support of HIV positive people and AIDS sufferers in Europe. The defined goal of the event is to make the general public mindful of the dangers of HIV/AIDS. The proceeds from the event go to various non profit organisations who are committed to the fight against HIV. Since 2010, we have the honour of outfitting the debutantes in Sportalm clothing.