Jack Stillman was our Grandfather and Great Grandfather. He was an ex Australian Navy man in the Second World War and saw action in North Africa and in the Pacific. He endured one of the heaviest theatres of naval warfare in North Africa in June 1942, when Axis forces unleashed hell on a fleet of British and Australian ships committed to protect a crucial merchant convoy. Despite horrendous loses over 3 days of battle, Jack survived.
After the war he went on to become a professional house painter and preacher, traveling across Australia with his family from New South Wales and Western Australia. We have photographs of him and his sons Eric and Colin jammed into a Harley Davidson motorbike side-car; off to church on a Sunday morning.
He was a hard working man who loved his family! He suffered from his war demons but he was also a very loving and funny man. He lived a good life and our fondest memories of him are on family holidays at the beach in Busselton Western Australia. I have recollections of him waist deep in the ocean swarmed by other people's children. They'd all be trying to pull the blustering silly man down or climb on his back as he playfully fought them off. He was a popular figure and it seemed like all the kids called him Grandad. But he was our Grandad. Jack Stillman passed away in 2004. He achieved 87 years.
Our Grandfathers and fathers taught us what it means to be men in Australia; to take responsibility, to be honest, to work until the job’s done. We Stillmans are a product of this code: Old-school values and respect that is earned not given.
The Jack Stillman brand was started in 2014 by Jarrod Stillman who is the grandchild of Jack. Jarrod was a soldier, worked in law enforcement and is a keen motorcycle enthusiast who has ridden on a few small overseas adventures.
One year earlier, tragedy led to Jarrod quitting a FIFO life in mining to devote his time to raising his youngest daughter who was 2 years old at the time. This “reset” period caused Jarrod to reflect on what was truly important in life and the answer was: family.
The pursuit of an answer to the question of how to spend more time living life with those who mattered, led to the formation of what is now a growing brand with an international following. Pretty soon Jack Stillman was making original bags, luggage and accessories that stood out for their attention to detail, classic styling and outstanding quality.
By 2020 Jake Stillman, son of Jarrod and great grandson of Jack, joined the business as a director. Jake earned his motorcycling chops early when, at the age of 12, Jarrod dragged him and his 9 year old sister Tia along on a 3 day motorcycle adventure through central Vietnam.
With Jake riding shotgun, we opened our first store in Fremantle Western Australia in June 2020. Simultaneously we began growing a strong following in Europe, the UK and North America.
We are a proud family business with our daughters and sisters working in the business along with overwhelming support from our extended family.
In recent times we have commenced collaborations with some notable international brands and celebrities and grown our distribution to some of the world's top motorcycle destinations such as Bike Shed MC in London and Royal Cafe Racers in France.
As we continue to grow our Australian owned, family business, we intend to demonstrate our commitment to valuing lifestyle and experience above materialism and the Daily Grind. We will also stay true to our promise to create designs that favour function over form and planet over profit.