Are your customers local people or visitors?
I’m happy to say that we work for both: for our local community who self-confidently and proudly wear our traditional costumes, which we call G’wand, as well as our appreciated visitors. As the Ausseerland is a famous tourist region, clients come from all over the world.
Do they wear the G’wand just on holidays or at home?
Many guests have been holidaying in the Ausseerland for four or five generations, so they have a special status between a foreigner and a local. They wear our G’wand with the same pleasure we do. They are international ambassadors for our regional identity and they inspire others to come here.
© Wolfgang Stadler
Is there a kind of G’wand you especially love to tailor?
Even if the borders of this region are tight, we have many varieties of traditional clothes. As I’m from Altaussee, the Spencer of Altaussee, which dates back to the 1850s, is my favourite outfit: a green jacket with elaborate embroidery and a stitched chamois on the back.
What goes into making it?
Time-honoured cuts and precise embroidering techniques are passed on from generation to generation and, of course, every artisan has his secrets and distinguishing features. A connaisseur will always identify a Haselnus jacket just by looking at the shape of the stitched chamois in the back.