About Us / Our History
Julius Lowenthal, the founder of Colibri, was famous for his uncanny confidence. Starting from nothing after the First World War, the cigar-loving inventor decided to take on the world of men’s accessories and change it for good. Showing a gift for anticipating the future that would mark the rest of his career, Julius set about inventing the world's best semi-automatic lighter. The Colibri legend was born.
Inspired by the elegant lines and clean-cut facets of the 1920s, our range today pays homage to that legend – a dynasty of inventors who revolutionized not just the fine mechanisms of ignition but the entire design of the modern lighter as we know it. After Julius came Jack – his flamboyant son, who grew the Colibri business into an international brand and set the tone for the Colibri breakthroughs of the 1960s and 70s, innovating continually as technology made smaller and more complex mechanisms possible. It was this obsession with inventiveness that forged Colibri – an iconic, individualistic brand that stands among the classics of its time.
From lighters, Julius’ grandson expanded the business into accessories, applying Colibri’s unique approach to a broader range of luxury products.
Today the Colibri renaissance brings you the same focus on technical leadership and design that put its brand at the forefront of 20th century innovation. Each of our products is individually considered, and engineered to our exacting standards. The result is elegant yet deceptively simple: Designed in London, our accessories are precisely tooled and perfectly formed, like the ornate hummingbird that Julius chose to symbolize the Colibri brand. Today Colibri offers a wide range of luxury products, from jewelry and accessories to pens and leather goods. Our products come in three different Series, each one suited to a different lifestyle and temperament – each one capturing the genuine, personal confidence that is the heart of the Colibri brand.