Located in Central Europe, Austria is the 94th largest country in the world by population and has one of the oldest national flags in the world.
Given the fact that the sewing machine was invented by Austrian Josef Madersperger, it is a no brainer for me to write a post about Austrian fashion and one of those brands that I find when I go shopping in Stockholm or London.
Founded in 1987 by Brigitte Stajan, the brand has had quite a low profile but successful journey in the past decade. Worn by European Royalty, the brand has decided to take a big step and tell us their story as well as showing us some of their designs.
It is smart of Brigitte to design both jackets with buttons under the shoulders for more formal shooting events, as well as jackets with just a single line of buttons in the middle, to leave space to mount the gun and shoot comfortably. This makes her jackets even more versatile, as one can wear them for an event at the office and then head to the countryside and shoot– beware of your friend's faces when they see you wearing the green jacket in the picture below. I think I had 3 or 4 ladies asking me where I bought the jacket when I wore it to a dinner on Friday and one of them has already ordered one. The greatest thing about the green jacket below is the fact that you can carry 100 Eley 12 Gauge cartridges inside the 2 XXL sized pockets, which makes me reiterate how versatile this jacket is.
To me, a brand starts speaking for itself in the packaging as well as the first time you see the brand at one of these fairs. The way they present themselves when they go to events, and the publications where they advertise. Regardless of the small or big budget that some of these brands have, attention to detail is one of the things that make consumers satisfied after their investment, and whereas we see this in the quality of the package we receive when we buy online, or the way they display their brand at a fair or in social media, Stajan is surely one of those brands who has surprised me the most: when they sent me their clothes, not only did they fill in the arms of the jackets with paper to avoid fold wrinkles, but also, the clothes didn't need to be ironed when I opened the package, which is something that I have to do when I have received items from the majority of the other brands that I have worked with. I could sense Birgitte is very detail oriented just by opening the package.
Leaving the packaging aside, the texture and colours of the jackets are the perfect example of a brand who has always kept quality at the core of its business. Unlike the majority of retailers, hand piped buttonholes and leather buttons help whoever wears a Stajan jacket stand out from the crowd. Their designs are timeless and they are jackets that last forever. Finally Stajan is able to provide us with some traditional yet very unique designs for those os us who get tired of finding the same styles in hunting shops.
With as little as 500 instagram followers, this brand is definitely one of those low profile brands who appreciate the privacy of their very demanding clients, but regardless of that, Stajan has definitely conquered wardrobe– and not just for shooting. I can wear their jackets to dinners after hunting, as well as meetings at the club with sponsors or friends, and then go back to the office in the city without getting changed, so definitely a very versatile brand.
If you want to have a unique style when you go shooting, don't share this post and keep it as a secret!
Oh, and if you want to order yours, here is the link: www.stajan.at or send them an email by clicking HERE and tell them you found Stajan in www.myshootingjourney.com , you will make the founder and owner Birgitte Stajan very happy!
All the best,
Andrea