The Paris fashion system and the Basel designers

Read the PDF edition (2 pages)

The dependence of the Basel ribbon industry on fashion made the design of ribbons a central activity. The large ribbon houses employed designers, the Dessinateure, who created new patterns every season. The houses also maintained close contacts with Paris, the capital of fashion. Basel merchants and designers travelled to Paris to observe the latest fashions, to buy samples and designs, and to meet the milliners and dressmakers who used ribbons. Some houses maintained agents or branches in Paris.¹

The pattern books of the Basel ribbon houses, preserved in several museums, contain thousands of samples of ribbons, arranged by season and type, with their technical specifications and prices. They are a record of the changing tastes of two centuries and a testimony to the creativity of the designers and the skill of the weavers. They also show the influence of Paris on Basel: many patterns were adaptations of French designs, modified for the Basel production methods and the tastes of the export markets.

The relationship between Basel and Paris in the ribbon trade anticipates the relationship between Swiss industry and the global centres of fashion, design and luxury that continues today. The Swiss watch industry, which has become one of the leading luxury industries of the world, depends on design, brand and marketing as much as on technical skill. Its relationship with the fashion capitals of the world recalls the relationship of the Basel ribbon houses with Paris. The watch and jewellery fair Baselworld, which was held in Basel until 2019, was for decades the principal meeting place of this industry.

Notes

On the design departments of the Basel ribbon houses and their contacts with the Paris fashion trade, see the literature on the history of the Basel ribbon industry; the collections of ribbon pattern books in the Museum.BL and the Historisches Museum Basel. To be verified. ↩

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of August 2025.

English

Contact

Dr Alexander Ressos, TEP

Rechtsanwalt/Attorney-at-Law

I am a Swiss attorney-at-law and also admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England & Wales, with almost 25 years of experience.

Together with my multilingual team, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian and French native speakers, I advise companies and their owners from around the world on the full range of banking, corporate, commercial and tax law matters in Switzerland, including international tax planning, fiduciary services, and legal family office services including immigration & relocation or real estate investments. My practice has a particular focus on clients from growth and frontier markets in Greater China, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, and I equally advise clients from Europe and North America. Through an affiliated Swiss trust company, we also take care of the incorporation and ongoing administration of their companies and other structures, including accounting, tax returns and corporate secretarial services, and I serve as a professional director where required. With the support of a network of first-class cooperation partners, I also implement solutions worldwide.

My approach is to act as a trusted advisor who works directly with decision-makers, on an equal footing: I start from what you want to achieve and shape every structure, contract and tax decision around your commercial goals and how it improves your after-tax return. As “lawyers who make it happen”, my team and I stay involved until your company is set up, your structure is in place and your transaction has closed, and we remain available for any follow-on work that may be required. You benefit from bespoke solutions and personal attention, and sound, friendly and practical advice. We are not the lowest-cost provider in the market, nor do we intend to be; our aim is to deliver well-founded, proper solutions and excellent value for money.

Get in touch →

The Paris fashion system and the Basel designers

Notes

Setting up or expanding in Switzerland?