Severed Thread: The Decline of the Swiss Embroidery Industry

Episode 1: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

27 min · 8. maj 2026
Billede af episoden Episode 1: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Description

In this episode, the host travels to Appenzell to meet Walter Sonderreger — a contract embroiderer who was eventually forced to close his family business. His company was "the last one standing" in the region. It is impossible to understand the decline of the embroidery industry without diving into the history of embroidery machines. Link: How This 140-Year-Old Lace Factory Created Leavers Lace for Dior, Burberry and More | WSJ Coveted https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD2nh75Yz8E⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD2nh75Yz8E⁠] Music to this episode was taken from Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound.

Comments

0

Be the first to comment

Sign up now and become a member of the Severed Thread: The Decline of the Swiss Embroidery Industry community!

Get Started

1 month for 9 kr.

Then 99 kr. / month · Cancel anytime

  • Podcasts kun på Podimo
  • 20 lydbogstimer pr. måned
  • Gratis podcasts

All episodes

4 episodes

episode Episode 3: Red Hot Fantasy Labor artwork

Episode 3: Red Hot Fantasy Labor

In this episode I address the link between embroidery and the plague of fast fashion. Links: Why fast-fashion garment workers' lives are still at risk ⁠ [https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/why-fast-fashion-garment-workers-lives-are-still-at-risk-transcript-1.7120894]https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/why-fast-fashion-garment-workers-lives-are-still-at-risk-transcript-1.7120894⁠ [https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/why-fast-fashion-garment-workers-lives-are-still-at-risk-transcript-1.7120894⁠] Shirtwaist Factory Fire Episode on Dressed: The History of Fashion Podcast ⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sweatshops-and-shirtwaists-remembering-the/id1350850605?i=1000649944856]https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sweatshops-and-shirtwaists-remembering-the/id1350850605?i=1000649944856⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sweatshops-and-shirtwaists-remembering-the/id1350850605?i=1000649944856⁠] Music used in this episode was taken from Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound.

8. maj 202645 min
episode Episode 2: African Lace artwork

Episode 2: African Lace

After the Second World War, interest in embroidery declined across Europe and the United States. In response, entrepreneurs began seeking new revenue streams. One such "stream" was West Africa. Links to media mentioned in the episode: STOFF - Ein Spitzengeschäft Film ⁠ [https://filminstitut.at/filme/stoff-ein-spitzengeschaeft]https://filminstitut.at/filme/stoff-ein-spitzengeschaeft⁠ [https://filminstitut.at/filme/stoff-ein-spitzengeschaeft⁠] Forget Me Not Book by Stephanie Baechler ⁠ [https://filminstitut.at/filme/stoff-ein-spitzengeschaeft]https://www.stephaniebaechler.com/books/forget-me-not-vergissmeinnicht/⁠ [https://www.stephaniebaechler.com/books/forget-me-not-vergissmeinnicht/⁠] How French Fashion Emerged even More Decadently from the Guillotined ⁠ [https://www.messynessychic.com/2022/01/20/how-french-fashion-emerged-even-more-decadently-from-the-guillotine/]https://www.messynessychic.com/2022/01/20/how-french-fashion-emerged-even-more-⁠ [https://www.messynessychic.com/2022/01/20/how-french-fashion-emerged-even-more-⁠] Clothed in the Vapors of Dawn: The Rise and Fall of Dhaka Muslin ⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/episode/37eo89vyiFAa978ZoDblYt]https://open.spotify.com/episode/37eo89vyiFAa978ZoDblYt⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/episode/37eo89vyiFAa978ZoDblYt⁠] The ancient fabric that noone knows how to make BBC article ⁠ [https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210316-the-legendary-fabric-that-no-one-knows-how-to-make]https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210316-the-legendary-fabric-that-no-one-knows-how-to-make⁠ [https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210316-the-legendary-fabric-that-no-one-knows-how-to-make⁠] Historical Document with Swiss Wages in 1908 ⁠ [https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/books/archive_008.pdf]https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/books/archive_008.pdf⁠ [https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/books/archive_008.pdf⁠] Music: Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound

8. maj 202625 min