Gaastra Fashion story

When the 22-year-old Douwe Gaastra established his sailmaker's shop in Sneek in 1897, his ambition was to sail faster and further, and he wanted to reinvent the age-old Dutch tradition of world-class, quality and craftsmanship.

That was more than a century ago and since then Gaastra has been transformed into a stylish and functional lifestyle brand that enjoys international renown.

Douwe Gaastra was not only young and enterprising, but also very ambitious.

He wanted to make sailing not only faster, but also more competitive and efficient. As a result, Gaastra quickly became a household name in the international sailing world.

But there is only a thin line between passion and fear. Douwe Gaastra lost his heart to the sea and focused on manufacturing the best sailing clothing. He knew that dealing with the water is all about respect and felt both an unspeakable love and an immense awe for the sea. To this day, we have therefore respected, cherished and followed Douwe's legacy.