Flexibility and Design. A History of Technology and Fashion in the Swiss Silk Industry, 1880 – 1914 by Blazon Publishing and Media Ltd

Flexibility and Design Flexibility and Design. A History of Technology and Fashion in the Swiss Silk Industry 1880-1914 Project Objectives

The main aim of the project is to find out about the design processes in the Swiss Silk industry by taking the relationship between fashion, design and technology into account. By doing so it explores a chapter in Swiss economic history which has been widely neglected by historians so far.

Project Funding

How silk was brought to the masses

The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Project Partners

The Swiss silk industry grew rapidly over the nineteenth century, as demand for the luxury product increased both in Europe and the US. The flexibility of the design process was central to the industry’s growth, enabling manufacturers to respond rapidly to changing fashions and produce textiles that consumers wanted to buy, as Denise Ruisinger and Professor Alexis Schwarzenbach explain. The Swiss silk industry was located in the Canton of Zurich. In the nineteenth century it became the second most important centre for silk textiles after Lyon in France. A central challenge for silk manufacturers was to produce fashionable and desirable goods, a topic at the heart of Denise Ruisinger’s research, which is carried out in a cooperative project between ETH Zurich and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. “I’m looking at the strategies the Zurich silk manufacturers employed to tackle the uncertainties inherent in the fashion industry,” she explains. This research involves Ruisinger analysing material from archives and museums to build a fuller picture of the design processes at work in the period between 1880-1914, a time when new technologies were being applied in manufacturing. “Previously textiles had been woven on handlooms by people working in their homes. In the later part of the nineteenth century more companies started to produce textiles in factories using power looms,” says Alexis Schwarzenbach, Professor of Design History at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, who supervises this PhD project. Mechanization in silk weaving came relatively late in comparison to other textiles like cotton, a much rougher and cheaper product. Silk by contrast had historically been a luxury, high-fashion product worn only by a relatively narrow section of society. But as the industrial revolution progressed it became more widely available. “In 1800 only the highest social classes would have been able to have silk gowns, but by 1900 even people with small budgets were able to afford silk garments,” outlines Professor Schwarzenbach.

The Swiss silk industry grew over the period to meet increasing demand; while the development of new technologies played an important part in this process, Professor Schwarzenbach says other factors were also involved. “It’s not just machines making silks cheaper, it’s also about producing goods that appeal to consumers, about the right choice of colours and patterns,” he stresses. “We are looking at the people who were involved in the design process. Design, as we understand it, is not a product, it’s a process.” This process has evolved over time, as new technologies have emerged that enabled manufacturers to work more efficiently and effectively. With mechanical looms, replaceable punch cards were used to produce patterns, so manufacturers could develop extensive design archives, on the basis of which they could both recreate successful designs and also draw inspiration for new ones. “If a manufacturer had these cards made then they could use them over and over again if they chose. The cards and accompanying sketches and point paper draughts were given the same number and put into storage. The

different designs were made easily and readily accessible,” outlines Ruisinger. Employees also needed training in how to operate new machinery, another important aspect of Ruisinger’s research. “A school was established to provide training and help personnel learn about new technology,” she continues. “Manufacturers soon realised that they would also benefit from deeper knowledge about fashion and design. The school management reacted to this need and integrated topics like drawing, sketching, colour theory and colour combination into their courses.”

Fashion trends The rapidly evolving nature of the commercial marketplace meant manufacturers needed to be flexible and adaptable if they were to thrive. Textiles had to be in line with contemporary tastes if they were to sell in the various markets the products were exported to, so it was important for manufacturers to understand what patterns and colours were en vogue. “We’re investigating the ways in which manufacturers gathered information about the market, to identify what was fashionable at the time and what was going to be fashionable in future. They had different ways of retrieving that information from Paris and other fashion centres like New York,” says Professor Schwarzenbach. This often meant employing agents in major fashion centres, who would then report back on the latest trends in terms of textures, patterns and fashionable colours, while professional agencies were another important source of information. “Almost all manufacturers subscribed to Paris-based pattern services and seasonal colour cards to find out what was and would be - in demand,” says Ruisinger.

EU Research

• ETH Zürich, Professur für Technikgeschichte

Contact Details

Colour card of the Chambre syndicale de teinturiers de Lyon, autumn 1913, circulated by the Weidman dye-works, Thalwil, Switzerland. Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Art and Design WEID_SM_00002_00 - WEID_ SM_00002_06. © 2019 Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Art and Design.

This in a way represents an early form of what we would now call market research, although at the time marketing wasn’t developed yet as a tool to sell consumer goods. There was enormous demand for information from manufacturers; Professor Schwarzenbach says colour was a particularly vital consideration. “Fashion is extremely colour-dependent, and minute differences in colour can change the effect completely, so it was important to know what kinds of colours were fashionable. That was very significant, even more so than the pattern itself,” he stresses. As silk became

from shoes to automobiles,” points out Professor Schwarzenbach. Much of the current commercial thinking around the marketing and development of consumer goods has its roots in this period, and while fashion is an inherently changeable industry, Professor Schwarzenbach says manufacturers devoted a lot of energy to preparing for the future. “It is always difficult to make reasoned decisions about the future. From our research on the Swiss silk industry we can see that already in the 19th century this challenge was addressed in a surprisingly sophisticated way,” he continues.

We’re investigating the ways in which manufacturers gathered information about the market, to identify what was fashionable at the time and what was going to be fashionable in future. They had different ways of retrieving that information from Paris and other fashion centres like New York. more widely available to a broader range of consumers over the latter part of the nineteenth century, it became increasingly important for manufacturers to understand consumer demand, and this shaped the evolution of the industry. “Different professions associated with the fashion industry, like marketing or trend scouting, have their roots during that time,” outlines Ruisinger. Many manufacturers in other industries faced similar challenges, particularly around adapting to changing tastes and fashions. A number of processes that were developed in this period are at the heart of marketing efforts today, so the project’s work holds broader relevance in terms of understanding how design processes interacted and evolved. “Design processes are involved in almost all industries producing consumer goods,

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The fashion industry today still puts a lot of emphasis on understanding and shaping the market, for example through Instagram influencers and maintaining a presence on social media. While these techniques of course were not available to nineteenth century silk manufacturers, they were fully aware of the importance of representation and publicity. “Zurich silk manufacturers mainly sold to whole sale businesses and department stores in Europe and the US. While some of them advertised their products in trade journals, great emphasis was placed on representation: they rented conspicuous office space in prime locations in Paris, London and New York and devised elegant pattern books showcasing their products,” explains Ruisinger. “It was a time when a lot of the thinking behind industries like marketing began.”

Prof. Dr. Alexis Schwarzenbach Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts T: +41 41 248 62 13 E: alexis.schwarzenbach@hslu.ch W: https://www.hslu.ch/en/lucerneuniversity-of-applied-sciences-and-arts/ research/projects/detail/?pid=2184 Denise Ruisinger ETH Zürich, Professur für Technikgeschichte T: +41 44 632 75 08 E: denise.ruisinger@history.gess.ethz.ch W: https://ethz.ch/en.html Denise Ruisinger: In einem Musterbuch lesen. Die Verwaltung des industriellen Textildesigns in der Zürcher Seidenindustrie um 1900. In: Traverse 26 (1) 2019, 161 – 172.

Alexis Schwarzenbach

Denise Ruisinger

Alexis Schwarzenbach read Modern History at Balliol College in Oxford and did his PhD at the European University Institute in Florence. Since 2015 he is professor for design history at the School of Art & Design, a department of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Denise Ruisinger is the doctoral candidate in the collaborative project „Flexibility and Design“ between ETH Zurich and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.