DISCOVER OUR STORY
It all started with our father.DAD Milan Golob
The roots of our business date back to the 1950s, when our father, Milan Golob, trained as a saddler’s assistant under Šlebnik, a master saddler in Ožbalt, and began working for him. Soon afterwards, at the invitation of Alojz Mithans, he moved to Slovenj Gradec, where the craft enterprise Obrtno podjetje Komfort Slovenj Gradec was founded in 1957. It later became the predecessor of Prevent, where he continued working until his retirement.
The Family Played a Part, Too
To support our large family, he would bring home simpler tasks that we could all help with, earning a little extra money that was much needed at the time.
He also had a small workshop at home, where he created a variety of saddlery and upholstery pieces, shaped by the needs of the time and the local community. Even today, more than 40 years later, people still fondly recall how long the hunting backpacks made by our father lasted.
As a child, I often helped him with simple upholstery and saddlery tasks. Perhaps those early experiences inspired me to follow in his footsteps after his untimely death, when I was just 10 years old.
FOLLOWING IN MY FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS
After completing primary school, I enrolled at the Secondary Leatherworking School in Domžale in 1989, where I began discovering the art of leather goods craftsmanship. It was there that I realised this was what I wanted to do with my life.
During the turbulent years following Slovenia’s independence, the leather processing industry, along with many other sectors, began to decline. I had to seek employment in other fields. Nevertheless, I remained committed to developing my craft, learning from master craftsman Anton Dietner from Lovrenc na Pohorju, whom I would visit by bicycle.
After my father passed away, Master Dietner came to collect his sewing machine, which he had been given to use, and promised to teach me more about the trade. He kept his word, and we became good friends. To this day, I enjoy returning to him for advice.
I also gained valuable experience working at several companies, including Toko Domžale (Maribor branch), Nova oprema Slovenj Gradec, Avtotap Maribor, Prevent d.d. Slovenj Gradec, Wollsdorf Leder, and Semmernegg Wies. Throughout my career, I have developed a broad range of skills in upholstery, automotive upholstery, leather goods craftsmanship, and saddlery.
For several years, I worked in the development of automotive seat covers and, as a development model maker, helped launch their production at various locations around the world.
In recent years, I have also become increasingly involved in crafting interior furnishings for luxury yachts. Since 2019, we have regularly exhibited at METSTRADE, the world’s largest trade exhibition for the leisure marine industry, where innovation, market development, and networking take centre stage.
MY JOURNEY AS AN INDEPENDENT CRAFTSMAN
For many years, I had dreamed of working independently. I first started a supplementary business 19 years ago, before taking the leap into full-time self-employment in 2016.
With a solid foundation of knowledge and 35 years of experience, I look to the future with optimism and innovative ideas. My greatest inspiration comes from my son Gašper and my wife Iris. Gašper has been handling scissors and exploring different materials and work processes since the age of three. Perhaps one day, he too will discover his passion for this wonderful craft.
I cannot imagine taking on larger projects without reliable business partners, with whom we continue to build successful stories together.
We are a team of skilled, dedicated professionals with many years of experience.
