Alpen

Alpen is an Italian manufacturer of precision grooming and cutting tools, based in Premana, a mountain town in the province of Lecco, Lombardy. Founded in 1964 by the Gianola brothers, the family firm makes scissors, nippers, tweezers and manicure and pedicure sets, and has widened its catalogue to more than 500 items [2]. It trades formally as Alpen dei Fratelli Gianola and is often styled Alpen Premana after its home town.

The company sits within Premana's long tradition of blade and scissor making, and describes its work as a blend of hand craftsmanship and modern machinery. Its tools are sold across Europe and in North America, and the business remains active and family-run.

Alpen was established in 1964 in Premana by the Gianola brothers, whom the company's own account describes as skilled and experienced craftsmen [2]. Premana, a village of roughly 2,500 people about 70 kilometres northeast of Milan in the foothills of the Alps, has a centuries-long history of ironworking and blade craft; by one retailer's account it is home to close to 94 percent of Italian scissor manufacturing [5]. The firm later passed to a second generation, led by the brothers Mauro and Pietro Gianola [4].

According to the company, sales grew within the Italian market through the 1970s, followed by expansion into international markets during the 1980s and 1990s [2]. That growth mirrored a wider boom in Premana itself: the town counted 48 blade workshops by 1960 and more than 250 firms by 1990, sustaining a cottage industry of handcrafted cutlery alongside mechanised production [5]. Over the decades Alpen's own range broadened to more than 500 products across several tool categories. Founded in 1964, the company reached 60 years in business in 2024.

Alpen presents itself as combining traditional Premana craftsmanship with modern technology, selecting materials carefully and attending to fine detail to make tools it calls high in quality and durable [2]. The company frames its aim as offering "italian products that feature quality and durability as key assets," and directs its tools at professional users such as hairdressers, tailors, chefs and beauticians. It describes production as extensive handwork — material preparation, handle crafting, blade shaping and manual sharpening — paired with modern machinery for precision.

The catalogue centres on scissors, made in variants that include cuticle, nail, embroidery, hairdressing, kitchen, textile and left-handed models. Alongside these the company produces cuticle and nail nippers, manicure and pedicure sets in nickel and stainless-steel finishes, nail files, tweezers and other manicure implements, plus retail display units. Manufacturing is carried out in Premana.

Ciselier Company, a specialty retailer that stocks the brand, describes Alpen's "superior quality, brilliant designs and commitment to traditional craftsmanship" as having "recently attracted growing recognition outside of Italy" [4]. No awards or independent editorial coverage of the brand are documented.

Alpen remains an active, family-run manufacturer. Its website is live, its catalogue is maintained, and its tools continue to be distributed internationally, including across several European countries and in Canada, the United States and South Africa [2].