26 May 2022

Clothing production and the mutual influence of fashion and traditional clothing on show at the exhibition 'Clothes. A Blend of Handicraft, Function and Fashion' at the Austrian Open-Air Museum Stübing in Styria

The findings of research on everyday life like festival culture or work circumstances of the rural population as well as the architectural landscapes of the different regions of Austria including building techniques and styles over centuries are exhibited at the Freilichtmuseum Stübing (Austrian Open-Air Museum Stübing) in Styria. This year, the museum's head of science and culture mediation Michaela Steinböck-Köhler curated the special exhibition 's Gwand – Zwischen Handwerk, Funktion und Mode (Clothes. A Blend of Handicraft, Function and Fashion) for insights into the production of clothes in rural regions and the mutual influence of fashion and traditional clothing.

From 29 May until 31 October 2022, visitors can explore the different stages of the production of clothing from the cultivation of the raw materials for yarns like flax or wool to spinning, weaving of textiles and sewing over the centuries. The findings of agricultural and economic research perspectives are accompanied by insights into the development of what is named today traditional Austrian clothing. In the press release, the dynamic of the mutual imitations of dress codes of peasants, nobility and bourgeoisie is especially pointed out (translated by Fashion.at): "Wealthier peasants in particular imitated the dress code of the nobility and bourgeoisie. On the other hand, in the middle of the 19th century, a style of clothing developed, mainly in summer resort destinations, which, based on the peasant work dress, found favor in aristocratic-bourgeois circles and fascinates until today the fashion world and inspires new creations."

Images, from left: Flax processing for the linen production (hackles). Photographer: Michaela Steinböck-Köhler. Right: A tailor booth at the Österreichisches Freiluftmuseum Stübing (Austrian Open-Air Museum Stübing). Photographer: Egbert Pöttler. Photos: © ÖFM /UMJ. The exhibition ''s Gwand – Zwischen Handwerk, Funktion und Mode' (Clothes. A Blend of Handicraft, Function and Fashion) from 29 May - 31 October 2022 at the Austrian Open-Air Museum Stübing in Styria presents from the production of textiles, clothing to the influence of fashion on rural clothing traditions and vice versa as well as influences of modern distribution channels like catalogs and mail order systems which began to change from around 1900 the behavior of the rural population.