Fashion from old bedding: Why are vintage fabrics so sought after?

Katharina Hajos, a screenwriter by profession, is breathing new life into discarded vintage fabrics by transforming them into unique home decor items, primarily decorative cushions. Her passion for flea market finds and her husband's Swedish roots inspired her to explore the world of secondhand textiles.

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You can find the most beautiful specimens on your travels to Sweden: Tightly woven cotton with a psychedelic swirl pattern in orange and yellow, probably from the 1970s; Robust linen blends with differently thick stripes in faded red tones, with similarly many decades on the clock; Colorful nature motifs, as the exceptional architect Josef Frank, who came from Baden near Vienna and was driven out by the Nazis, invented for the Stockholm furnishing house Svenskt Tenn in the 1930s and brought into fashion worldwide.

Hajos sources her materials from various places, including her travels, particularly in Sweden where "Loppis" (flea market) signs are common. She also finds fabrics at estate sales and from unused warehouse stock. These textiles, often dating back to the 1970s or earlier, feature distinctive patterns and robust materials like tightly woven cotton and linen blends, including designs by renowned figures like Josef Frank.

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Operating from her shop "Schlafen nach Maß" (Sleep to Measure) in Vienna's Leopoldstadt district, Hajos sorts, cleans, and processes these vintage fabrics in her own workshop. The size of the resulting cushions varies depending on the available fabric, with some large enough to serve as seating.

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Some come with real ruins and are then almost moved when they get the piece refurbished and back almost like new.

Beyond creating new products, Hajos offers a repair service for customers' own covers. She notes that many customers bring in heavily worn items, only to be moved when they see them restored to near-new condition. Hajos observes that a prevalent mindset encourages discarding items that are used or no longer aesthetically pleasing. She finds satisfaction in seeing customers return for more cushions, becoming repeat patrons who appreciate the sustainable approach to home decor.

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Some come regularly and always buy themselves a new cushion when they have budget left.