It is not known quite where or how the crafts of cord-spinning, weaving and tassel-making as we know it today in the trimmings workshop were first practised. The luxury consumption of the English court, and the aristocracy, and the increasing application of luxury textiles in the stately homes of the 17th century onwards, where the quality of interior decoration reached its height, can be seen as the driver for the growth of this particular trade.
When Daniel Marot the French Dutch Architect and furniture designer (1661- 1752) worked on Hampton Court Palace he used Faggotted fringe for the State Bed (refurbished by Wendy Cushing in the 1980s) which was originally a design seen on garments. Passementerie became fashionable by following the trends of the rich. It was an expression of wealth.
The skills in the passementerie workshop comprise dyeing, cord-spinning, weaving and tassel-making, which are co-ordinated to produce mainly bespoke work.
Allied crafts where passementerie is used include curtain-making, soft furnishings making and upholstery.
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Individual makers:
Businesses employing two or more individuals:
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