Gebrüder Stitch

Gebrüder Stitch is an Austrian denim brand founded in Vienna in 2010 by Michael Lanner and Moriz Piffl-Perčević. The founders were dissatisfied with their marketing careers and developed the idea of producing locally made, individually fitted jeans. Although they are described as “brothers” in the brand name, Lanner and Piffl-Perčević are not siblings. The name combines the old-fashioned German word “Gebrüder,” meaning brothers, with the English word “Stitch.” The company began with a temporary store on Gumpendorferstraße and became Vienna’s first bespoke jeans maker. Before opening, the founders studied production and retail practices in factories, trade shows, and workshops in several European and Asian locations. Their preparation covered cutting, sewing, finishing, customer consultation, design, and the creation of worn or washed effects. The brand’s early proposition combined personal fitting with a locally visible production process rather than treating jeans as an anonymous mass-market product. Gebrüder Stitch built recognition in German-speaking Europe through distinctive communication and marketing. Its campaigns used humor, visual provocation, and unusual retail concepts, including the Christmas-themed “Christmas on the arse” campaign. The brand also became associated with sustainable denim production. It uses organic denim and has promoted GOTS-certified organic cotton, Austrian production, and enzyme-based washing or bleaching methods intended to provide a lower-impact alternative to conventional finishing processes. The product offer developed from bespoke jeans into three broad lines: made-to-measure or bespoke jeans, fitted jeans, and ready-made jeans. The company also offers specialized “Velostitch” designs intended for cyclists. Its retail model has centered on combining customer-facing sales with production in the same location, an approach represented by the “buttlab” store on Mariahilfer Straße in Vienna. In 2014, the company underwent restructuring, planned an expansion into ready-made jeans, and moved from Gaudenzdorfer Gürtel to Mariahilfer Straße. In 2015 it opened a store in Berlin. The original Gebrüder Stitch GmbH became insolvent in 2016 after a planned capital increase of more than €650,000 was unexpectedly cancelled. Following the insolvency, ants in your pants GmbH acquired the Gebrüder Stitch trademark rights and selected fixed assets. The post-insolvency business continued from the Mariahilfer Straße location. The Vienna site has also been connected with Vollpension, a social-business café and restaurant project co-founded by Moriz Piffl-Perčević and known for employing senior citizens. Since the pandemic period, the space has been referred to as the Vollpension Studio. This connection reflects the brand’s broader association with community-focused retail, local production, and social entrepreneurship. Gebrüder Stitch remains primarily a Vienna-based organic denim label rather than a large international apparel group.

Gebrüder Stitch was conceived in 2009 by Vienna-based marketers Michael Lanner and Moriz Piffl-Perčević. Dissatisfied with their professional work, they developed a plan for a local made-to-measure jeans business. The founders investigated manufacturing and retail practices in Chinese, Italian, and Hungarian factories, visited German and French trade fairs, and worked through specialist workshops covering pattern cutting, sewing, finishing, customer advice, design, and the production of worn effects. Their preparation led to the opening of a temporary store on Gumpendorferstraße in 2010. The company presented itself as Vienna’s first bespoke jeans maker and differentiated its offer through personal fitting and a visible relationship between design, production, and retail. Its first fashion show took place during Vienna Fashion Week in 2010. In subsequent years, the brand developed a reputation in German-speaking Europe for unconventional communication. Its campaigns, including the provocative “Christmas on the arse” concept, helped it gain attention beyond the niche of custom denim. Sustainability became a central part of the brand’s identity. Gebrüder Stitch used organic denim and promoted GOTS-certified organic cotton. The company also developed an enzyme-based approach to bleaching and washing denim, which received recognition from the City of Vienna in 2014. Its product range came to include bespoke, fitted, and ready-made jeans, along with specialized cycling-oriented Velostitch designs. The company’s emphasis was not limited to fabric choice: the retail concept also made production visible to customers and connected the brand with local urban life. In 2012, an associated Vollpension coffee-shop concept appeared during Vienna Design Week. Run with senior citizens, the project became popular and was later repeated in several Austrian cities, including Bregenz, Linz, Salzburg, and Graz. Vollpension subsequently became an independent social-business restaurant with a permanent Vienna location. Its relationship with Gebrüder Stitch was reinforced by the involvement of Moriz Piffl-Perčević in both initiatives. A 2014 restructuring marked a shift toward a wider product range, including ready-made jeans. The company moved from Gaudenzdorfer Gürtel to Mariahilfer Straße, one of Vienna’s principal shopping streets. It opened its first Berlin store in 2015. In 2016, however, the original Gebrüder Stitch GmbH became insolvent after a planned capital increase exceeding €650,000 was unexpectedly cancelled. The newly established ants in your pants GmbH subsequently acquired the brand’s trademark rights and some fixed assets. Among its independent shareholders were founder Moriz Piffl-Perčević and Niko Alm. After the insolvency, the brand continued from its Mariahilfer Straße premises. The store combined retail and manufacturing and was referred to as a “buttlab.” Since the pandemic period, part of the location has also been associated with the Vollpension Studio. Gebrüder Stitch’s later identity is therefore rooted in a single Vienna site that combines denim retail, production, local design, and social-enterprise activity. The brand remains known primarily for organic, custom-oriented jeans and for marketing that uses humor and unconventional cultural references.

• 2016

  Insolvency and trademark transfer

  [1]Gebrüder Stitchen.wikipedia.org

  The original company becomes insolvent, after which ants in your pants GmbH acquires the trademark rights and selected assets.

• 2015

  First Berlin store

  [1]Gebrüder Stitchen.wikipedia.org

  Gebrüder Stitch opens its first store in Berlin.

• 2014

  Restructuring and move to Mariahilfer Straße

  [1]Gebrüder Stitchen.wikipedia.org

  The company restructures, plans to expand into ready-made jeans, and relocates its main operation to Mariahilfer Straße.

• 2014

  Vienna Environment Prize

  [1]Gebrüder Stitchen.wikipedia.org

  The brand receives the City of Vienna Environment Prize for enzyme-based bleaching.

• 2012

  Vollpension project begins

  [1]Gebrüder Stitchen.wikipedia.org

  The senior-focused Vollpension coffee-shop concept is introduced during Vienna Design Week.

• 2011

  Vienna Fashion Award

  [1]Gebrüder Stitchen.wikipedia.org

  Gebrüder Stitch wins the Vienna Fashion Award for Best Designer Branding.

• 2010

  First temporary store opens in Vienna

  [1]Gebrüder Stitchen.wikipedia.org

  Gebrüder Stitch opens on Gumpendorferstraße and launches its bespoke denim operation.

• 2010

  First fashion show

  [1]Gebrüder Stitchen.wikipedia.org

  The brand presents its first fashion show during Vienna Fashion Week.

• 2009

  Founders develop the local bespoke-jeans concept

  [1]Gebrüder Stitchen.wikipedia.org

  Michael Lanner and Moriz Piffl-Perčević begin developing a Vienna-based made-to-measure jeans business after researching factories, workshops, and trade fairs.

A Vienna-based, sustainability-oriented denim brand combining made-to-measure fitting, visible local production, organic materials, and unconventional marketing.

• Custom denim · 2010

  Bespoke jeans

  Made-to-measure jeans are the brand’s original and defining offer. Customers receive individual fitting and design consultation, with production connected to the Vienna retail site. The concept emphasizes personal proportions, selected denim, and adaptations rather than standardized mass-market sizing.

• Denim

  Fitted jeans

  Fitted jeans occupy a middle ground between fully bespoke garments and standardized ready-made products. They extend the brand’s focus on silhouette and fit while offering a more repeatable product format for customers who do not require complete customization.

• Denim · 2014

  Ready-made jeans

  Ready-made jeans were added to the planned broader range during the company’s 2014 restructuring. The line allowed Gebrüder Stitch to reach customers seeking the brand’s organic denim and design language without going through the full bespoke process.

• Cycling apparel

  Velostitch

  Velostitch is a group of jeans designs intended for cyclists. The offer reflects the brand’s Vienna retail context, where bicycle use is common, and adapts denim to the practical needs of urban cycling while retaining an everyday jeans appearance.

• 2012Vollpension

  Austria

  A temporary coffee-shop concept staffed by senior citizens was presented during Vienna Design Week and later repeated as a traveling project in several Austrian cities.

  Outcome. The concept gained local popularity and developed into an independent permanent social-business restaurant.

  Source
• 2010Vienna Fashion Week debut

  Austria

  Gebrüder Stitch used its first fashion show at Vienna Fashion Week to introduce its custom-denim proposition to the local fashion community.

  Outcome. The event helped establish the young label within Vienna’s fashion scene.

  Source
• Christmas on the arse

  German-speaking Europe

  A provocative Christmas-themed marketing campaign that used humor and visual irreverence to promote Gebrüder Stitch and increase brand visibility.

  Outcome. The campaign contributed to the brand’s reputation for innovative communication and broader awareness in German-speaking Europe.

  Source

• 2016

  Post-insolvency transfer of the brandOther

  Background

  The original Gebrüder Stitch GmbH became insolvent after a planned capital increase of more than €650,000 was cancelled.

  Action taken

  A newly founded ants in your pants GmbH acquired the Gebrüder Stitch trademark rights and selected fixed assets.

  Aftermath

  The brand continued operating from its Mariahilfer Straße premises under the successor ownership structure.

  Planned capital increase. More than €650,000 planned → Cancelled (2016)

  Source

• 2014

  Expand from bespoke denim toward ready-made productsStrategy

  Background

  The company’s restructuring included an intention to broaden its product range beyond made-to-measure jeans.

  Action taken

  Gebrüder Stitch planned ready-made jeans and moved its operation to Mariahilfer Straße.

  Aftermath

  The move established the Vienna location that later combined retail and production in the brand’s buttlab format.

  Source

1. 1Gebrüder Stitchen.wikipedia.org