Jenni Hemden Glarnertüechli

Original Glarner Tüechli. Mercerised, 100% cotton, washable at 60°C. Swiss Made. In the 17th century, sailors brought colourful printed fabrics from India to Europe. These cotton prints, known as "Indiennes", caused a sensation with their vibrant patterns and colourfulness and sold like hot cakes as clothing fabrics, upholstery and wall coverings. After 1678, manufactories were set up in Holland, England and Germany to print cotton fabrics in the Indian style. Huguenots who had fled France were instrumental in setting up the industry. They founded the first textile printing works in the Confederation, in Geneva in 1691 and in Neuchâtel in 1715. Further printing works were soon established in Aargau, Bern, Basel and Zurich, in Glarus in 1740 and in Islikon in 1765. After 1750, textile printing flourished in France, and in the 19th century England, the canton of Glarus and the Mulhouse region became the most important centres of textile printing in Europe. Time-consuming hand printing with wooden models remained predominant until well into the 19th century. However, from 1780 onwards, inventive minds endeavoured with increasing success to mechanise the printing process to increase production. The triumph of chemical dyes had an equally significant impact after 1860. At the same time, machine textile printing took off in many countries, gradually replacing the old hand printing with models. The unique upswing in the Glarus textile industry began after 1815. Numerous large and small fabric printing works started up in the lower and middle regions of Glarus. After 1822, more than 20 spinning and weaving mills settled on the Linth and its tributaries. Glarus trading companies and the manufacturers themselves organised the worldwide distribution of the fabric prints. They repeatedly opened up new sales territories.