2021 media text
World-class St.Gallen lace #textilland
In St.Gallen, style and substance are cut from the same cloth. This textile city is known around the world for its elaborate embroidery. Even the likes of celebrities such as Madonna and Charlène of Monaco wear clothes from St.Gallen. The Children's Festival is held in St.Gallen every three years for the schoolchildren of the local elementary school. A festival of traditions and embroidery.
The bridal couple looked dazzling as the world looked on and admired the stunning embroidered dress of George Clooney's bride, Amal Alamuddin. The stuff wedding dress dreams are made of. And who designed it? The St.Gallen textile company Forster Rohner. Other celebrities like Madonna, the Princess of Monaco and the US First Lady Michelle Obama also like to wear clothes made from fabrics produced in the local textile workshop. Why? Because St.Gallen is known around the world for its textiles. Prominent fashion houses like Chanel, Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani and many others incorporate St.Gallen embroidery into their designs, and the big name fashion shows in Paris, Milan or New York all feature haute couture creations made from St.Gallen fabrics.
Long textile tradition
The fabrics from Eastern Switzerland are not only sought-after today, they are part of a long tradition dating back to the early Middle Ages which has endured throughout the ages. For centuries, the lives of the people of St.Gallen have revolved around linen production, cotton weaving and embroidery of manufactured fabrics. The textile industry played a significant role in shaping Eastern Switzerland and its influence can still be felt today, especially in the architecture of the region’s buildings.
Embroidered QR codes
St.Gallen has many old buildings, remnants of the textile industry, with illustrious sounding names like “Oceanic”, “Washington” or “Wilson”. To bring the exciting textile tradition of the region to life for tourists and locals alike, these embroidered QR codes were affixed to these architectural landmarks. Scanning these codes with a smartphone or tablet provides access to texts about the houses. The interior of the Kirchhoferhaus building on the campus of the University of St.Gallen is also open to visitors. Velvet drapes with metal threads and wallpaper with colourful flower patterns are evocative of the history of the textile industry of Eastern Switzerland.
New app guides visitors through St.Gallen’s textile history
Three years ago, a themed walking trail was created in St.Gallen which guides visitors past these historical textile houses, the Historisches and Völkerkundemuseum (Historical Museum and the Museum of Ethnology) and the Textile Museum, taking visitors through the centuries of St.Gallen's textile history. A new app launched this year offers a self-guided version of the two textile trails. Through texts and images, visitors are immersed in the rich history of textiles and learn about new and familiar things from the past and present.
A night among exquisite fabrics
If you dream of fine embroidery and can imagine sleeping in a bed surrounded by exquisite fabrics, spend a night in one of the special “textile hotel rooms” in the St.Gallen- Lake Constance region. 14 hotels in Eastern Switzerland offer these textile-themed rooms which are designed with selected fabrics from the renowned St.Gallen textile manufacturers.
Museum with textile rarities
The exhibits in the Textile Museum also show how textile production evolved over time in St.Gallen. The museum has a magnificent collection of embroidered curtains (Vitrages and Rideaux) which were mainly exported to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the merchants also collected textile rarities from all over the world as inspiration for their own creations, the museum also boasts rare treasures like embroider work found in Egyptian tombs which are a testament to the age-old craftsmanship of the embroiderers. A special attraction is the hand embroidery machine which dates back to around 1890. A live demo of the machine’s operation is given every Thursday and Friday from 12 to 17.
For a special experience, we recommend: Textilland Explorer Touren Nord/Süd
For three years now, the rich textile heritage of Eastern Switzerland has been brought to life in a self-guided tour by car. You can discover the history of the textile industry in Eastern Switzerland on the North and South tours. This year, a self-guided version by public transport is also available. The tour includes stops at museums and buildings like the historical Schwarzes Haus (Black House). It also tells you where to go to enjoy special “textile-themed” menus or overnight stays in the region's textile hotels. All-in-all a unique experience.
Textile souvenirs
If you want to stock up on textile souvenirs for your loved ones before you leave St.Gallen, stop by the St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourism office located at Bankgasse 9 in the heart of the St.Gallen Abbey District. Several textile companies also sell their products in their factory shops.
Textile souvenirs and fabrics are available at these locations:
- St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourism office at Bankgasse 9 (online shop at www.st.gallen-bodensee.ch) - Bischoff Textil at Bogenstrasse 9 - Jakob Schläpfer at Fürstenlandstrasse 99 - Akris at Felsenstrasse 40 - Mode Weber at St. Leonhard-Strasse 8 in St.Gallen
Contact: St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourism Tobias Treichler Vice Director / Head of Marketing & Customer Experience Bankgasse 9 / Postfach CH-9001 St.Gallen Tel. +41 (0)71 227 37 19 Fax +41 (0)71 227 37 67 [email protected]