Team

As the sun set on a beautiful late afternoon in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Michael was on a stroll before dinner checking out the shops in this summer yacht town. After spending 13 years building something great with RIMOWA luggage, he spotted something even more luxurious in a shop window. He rushed inside to examine it and asked the shopkeeper if he could get in touch with the brand's owners. To his surprise, he received a call the next morning and was invited to a yacht show where TecknoMonster was showcasing their products alongside Azimut. Interestingly, neither Michael nor the Sales Director of Tecknomonster had ever been to Porto Cervo before, but fate brought them together that day. After meeting the Founder two weeks later at the factory near Milan, the rest, as they say, is history.

Michael de Prenda

Michael entered the retail luggage industry in 2004 with the birth of his first child. His business partner and wife could no longer handle the 24/7 demands of the Taiwan tech sector. His friend Dr. Thomas Pabst of Tom's Hardware Guide, introduced him to Rimowa, the renowned German luggage company. This happened after both Michael's and Thomas's Samsonite luggage broke. Michael and Annie quickly realized that not only did they love Rimowa, but the entire Greater China and Asia region would as well. They purchased a whole container and opened the world's first Rimowa store in Taipei. Michael then hired top talent from the European luxury sector to properly position the brand in Taiwan, and later moved his wife and three children back to the United States to open shops on the West Coast and in Hawaii, including locations on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and Post Street in San Francisco.

In 2015, Michael returned to Taiwan to open a food and wine distribution business and Michelin-guide-level restaurants and cafes. While on holiday in Italy in 2017, collecting food and wine brands, he stumbled upon the world's most luxurious luggage brand, made for the super-rich yacht and Lamborghini owners. He worked with Prada architect Paolo Giachi to open a store in Taipei and Macau, and now after the COVID-19 pandemic, he is reviving the brand with a relaunch and refresh.

Giacomo Valentini

Giacomo comes from a family with a long history of factory owners in Gallarate, near Milan's Malpensa airport. His father was a visionary in the refrigeration industry, and his uncle owned a successful aviation company, Avio Milano. Raised by an artistic mother and an industrious engineer father, it's no surprise that Giacomo has become both the artistic designer and founder of his aerospace luggage and bag company. This rare combination is likely the reason he has created the world's best luggage, along with his incredible passion and lack of limitations from outside investors.

With typical Milanese pride and flair, Giacomo created products for his close friends, including the Italian prince, and selling his products at the Monaco yacht club. He went to great lengths to ensure the beauty and style that only an Italian could bring to his products, paying attention to every detail and producing a result that should not even exist. Giacomo's work inspires awe, and he should be applauded for his tireless dedication and creative genius.