11 May 2021

Austria Insight: Blankets for picnics and outdoor areas of restaurants or cafés

From 19 May, gastronomy is allowed to open the outdoor and indoor spaces for guests again. For the ones who prefer 'open-air', Austrian textile and fashion producer Steiner1888 released new models of blankets for gastronomy visits or picnics. The company from the region of the mountain range Dachstein (Salzburg, Styria) has strong roots in mountaineering and the development of durable textiles used for sporty outdoor activities, everyday wear developed from traditional Austrian clothing, home textiles like blankets or cushion sleeves and upholstery fabrics. Last year in 2020, Steiner1888 joined forces with designer Christian Weber of the design studio 'Weber+Weber' for the further development of fashion collections from the traditional fabric 'Loden' (felted wool) originating from the alpine regions of Middle-Europe. (Details of the history of the company and news at steiner1888.com/chronik).

Images, from left: The 900 gramm light and scratch-free summer blanket 'Silvia' is made from merino wool which was compressed (respectively felted) in a process with hot water for shielding better from cold. The blanket with checked pattern is available in various color tones.

Right: The second blanket on view on this page is the 'Schani'-blanket. It's from the range of short blankets (80 x 145 cm, various colors) especially designed to be wrapped around the shoulders or the legs when sitting outside in a 'Schanigarten'. The Austrian term 'Schanigarten' denotes the outdoor area with service of a restaurant or café located in most cases at the sidewalk but also at public places or streets. 'Schani' is used in Viennese dialect also for servant. The Schanigarten is the 'garden' where drinks and food are served.

Photos: © Steiner1888.