Georg & René Haselnus

Tailor

Authenticity and tradition

René is the third generation to manage the workshop
Their work is deeply rooted in the region’s tradition
Their signature product is the Altausseer Spencer

When Archduke Johann, brother of the Austrian Emperor Franz I, married the postmaster’s daughter Anna Plochl from the village of Bad Aussee, the region of Ausseerland-Salzkammergut came into the public eye. The couple lived a very humble and down-to-earth lifestyle in Styria, including wearing traditional rural costumes. To this day the region is the most authentic rural area of Austria, where wearing traditional clothes – known as G’wand – is widespread among locals as well as visitors. The Haselnus workshop references this heritage. It was founded by René’s grandfather in 1932, while his father Georg was the first and only bespoke tailor in Styria to be awarded the Styrian Crafts Award.

Interview

©Wolfgang Stadler

©Wolfgang Stadler

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.
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.

Georg & René Haselnus are master artisans: they began their career in 1994 and they started teaching in 2000