The scarf was a gift from a friend, and she knew I'd like the colors - plus it said "Swiss Made" on the label and she thought that was funny.
I love the color combination and the groovy pattern. So the other day I showed it to my mum - sort of "oh look, and that's the scarf that I like to wear with this jacket". She took one look a the signature on it...
... and on she went "Oh Fisba-Stoffels - I served old Mrs. Stoffels at the shop in Klosters!" (my mom worked summer seasons as a tour guide and winter seasons in ski resort shops). Would you believe it? It seems, the Mrs. Stoffels in question was quite a character, well-known in town. My dad, who grew up in Klosters, remembers her too. Apparently, the company mostly produced hankies - the old-fashioned lace-etched kind that my grandma liked and had. Aww, if the internet turns up nothing, just ask yer mum!Anyway, I did some more research, though not with a lot of results. There's loads of ebay, Etsy etc. listings for Fisba-Stoffels hankies and scarves, but not much info on the company per se. I found some old trade register references, the company originally was founded in St. Gallen - which makes sense, as St. Gallen was a well-known center of lace production, and it seems the company was called Fisba-Stoffels Taschentuch AG from the beginning (Taschentuch meaning handkerchief). It also seems it was founded as early as 1895. In 1907, they built a factory in Elgg, in the Canton of Zurich, where apparently they got the land to build the factory plus houses for the workers and all else for - pretty much nothing! The only other bit I could find was that in 1988 they fusioned with the Fischbacher company, and the name Fisba-Stoffels disappeared. Fischbacher is a well-known brand, producing high-quality bed linens and fabrics for home furnishings.
I am again and again surprised about the stories vintage things can reveal!
Karin
Fascinating! I love the idea of a characterful hankie-manufacturer knocking around Klosters. And what a great working life your mum has had. Great scarf too.
ReplyDeleteWow! Love the scarf and how interesting to find your mum actually served Mrs Stoffels. Great research work too! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat!! I was looking some information about Fisba-Stoffels because I found one!!!
ReplyDeletethank you!!
Alicia
I just purchased a Fisba Stoffels hankie on EBay, circa 1975, green with racing greyhounds on it.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about the history of this company. Many, many thanks for the info!!!!!
Thank you so much for posting this! I have a Fisba scarf in my stash, and I suspected it was vintage, but your blog was the first real piece of info I could find on the brand. Thanks!
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