Fritz Hiltl started making trousers in Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany, in 1955 with the mission to produce one of the best-made men’s pants in the world. He did so by putting the same sort of sartorial details—eyelet buttonholes with crossbar stitching, welted pockets with crescent-shaped bar tacks, and soft inner linings inside waistbands—into his ready-made slacks as you might expect to receive from your own custom tailor. Then he went a step further and added his own proprietary features, including nickel-free zippers that don’t lose their pull after multiple washings, customized stabilizing tape in the waistband to keep it from rolling down, extra long viscose linings to increase fabric fluidity and comfort, and a specially made protector band at the cuff of every trouser to preserve the integrity of the fabric.

Inside Information

Hiltl has been a pioneer in the use of new materials, including its own SmartCel climate-control cotton fiber that breathes and provides what the company calls “air-conditioning for your legs.”