As you might guess, its history in the embroidery, lacemaking and fashion industries has left a footprint of the city of great interest to anyone with a passing interest in textiles, crafts and art and this charming little place has plenty more feasts for the eyes as well.
Switzerland in general has a long history of textiles production, composed largely of linen production in the 16 th century, before progressing into cotton and eventually the industrialisation of lace production around This history has been immortalised through the naming of St Gallen and Appenzell embroidery, the intricate embroidery styles that the towns gave their namesakes too.
St Gallen embroidery in particular is highly sought after by the luxury clothing and designer markets. Both are typically types of whitework, with St Gallen embroidery often being done by a hand embroidery machine — a huge mechanised beast that feels part sewing machine part giant loom that is the early form of the amazing programmable embroidery machines we have today.
The work from Appenzeller typically veers towards hand embroidery but both are magnificently beautiful types of work and prized for their intricate, precise designs. Around St Gallen today, many of the buildings reflect the textile history of the place, though have mostly been repurposed now as restaurants, hotels and shops but their beautiful facades remain. There is a nice walking tour you can follow with a downloadable app that provides commentary on the history and significance of the places which you can do at your own pace to try and get a sense of the scale the textile industry used to occupy.
Like many other places that used to thrive as textile hubs, mechanisation and the demand for fast, cheap fashion has decimated the industries here that used to employ two thirds of the local residents. However, the story is not all doom and gloom in the local area. One of them includes the opportunity to see some of the looms in action and get an insight into what goes in on the design studios which sounds incredibly cool!
