Mühle Rasurkultur

Have you heard of our "small museum," as we fondly refer to our collection internally at MÜHLE? Nestled within our company headquarters in the Ore Mountains, there's a hidden room that invites visitors to explore the rich history of shaving culture. So, step inside. MÜHLE-CEO Andreas Müller will personally guide you through.

Welcome to our collection!

Andreas, you started this collection in the early 2000s. How did that come about?

Initially, our collection grew piece by piece. As a family with a keen interest in the history of shaving culture, we would often acquire traditional objects. Over the years, we amassed quite a bit. Then one day, our father met Trödler-Willy, a man in his early 60s who moved to our neighboring town of Aue in the 00s. He was a true antique enthusiast. Apparently, he was quite wealthy; he bought several entire houses in the area and filled them with his antiques.

Entire houses as antique showrooms?

Yes, and some of them were really large, magnificent houses! For instance, he had an entire bunker filled with silverware. He also had a great passion for wet shaving items and had collected an immense amount in that segment. Somehow, Willy found our family business appealing. And since my father has a knack for connecting with unique characters, he eventually said: We need to buy all these exhibits from him.

A travel container with a shaving brush, originally from England.
Andreas Müller introduces the history of shaving culture.
Step into our gentlemen’s salon: Here, you can take a seat at an old dressing table and experience the atmosphere of bygone times.

Your collection includes around 2,000 exhibits, an old dressing table, and even some interior fittings. Did all of this come from Trödler-Willy?

The collection is actually even larger – some items are also displayed in our store in London-Carnaby. Among them is another, in my opinion, even more beautiful dressing table than the one we have here in Stützengrün, which is in our Barber Shop. However, the furniture did not come from Willy. Some pieces are from an old barber shop in Eastern Saxony, and others are from the former Kottmarsdorf Barber Museum, which unfortunately no longer exists. Over time, we amassed quite a lot. For example, our oldest piece is a pewter shaving bowl that is at least 200 years old.

Parts of the MÜHLE collection: The box, which provides space for razors and blades, is a classic from Gillette, here in a special edition in gold.
The unique razor from Japan fits into the round case, making it look like a fountain pen.
The MÜHLE shaving brushes with noble resin handles were the Mercedes in their product lineup during the 1950s.
Die Pinsel waren damals in unterschiedlichen Farben erhältlich.

So, razor culture isn’t just a part of your name – you’re truly living it here.

Absolutely. Sometimes, these exhibits even inspire us to create new products. But above all, our collection represents a piece of cultural history – preserving and showcasing it is our primary mission.

Are you still actively collecting?

I still occasionally search for products on eBay or at flea markets. You can always find some great treasures there. Most of our collection is now stored away; our small museum room can no longer accommodate it all.

Do you have a favorite piece?

There are many! One of my favorites is our set of weekly straight razors. Each razor is labeled with a day of the week and stored in a case lined with velvet. It’s pure luxury. In the past, there was a saying: “The steel must rest,” which is why it was recommended to use a new razor every day. It’s a charming old tale.

You can find our series of videos here.

Text Franziska Klün

Photographer Stefan Hähnel, Peter Lorenz, Marcus Werner