Ebneter & Biel

Ebneter & Biel is a Swiss family-owned atelier and retail boutique based in St. Moritz, known for hand-embroidered table linen, bed linen, terry goods and handkerchiefs. The business traces its origins to 1880, when hand embroidery was taking root in Appenzell, and it has been present on the St. Moritz market square since 1911. It is run in the fourth generation by the siblings Andrea-Rita and Christian Biel. The company's identity rests on traditional hand embroidery: table and bed linen as well as handkerchiefs are still embroidered by hand, and the motifs are drawn by hand in the old tradition, producing pieces the firm describes as unique works of art that cannot be matched by machine. Its product range covers table linen, bed linen and bedding, terry goods, handkerchiefs and other home textiles, sold through its St. Moritz shop and presented on its website. Historically the manufactory was led by the Ebneter and Bärlocher families and quickly earned a reputation for exceptional quality and timeless, elegant designs. Its specialities were hand-embroidered table linen and handkerchiefs, alongside doilies and fine silk ladies' underwear made to order. A first shop opened in 1911 in the famous Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, and the firm grew rapidly before the First World War interrupted its expansion. In 1919 Milly Bärlocher was sent to St. Moritz to help revive the business; she married Heinrich Biel in 1925, and the simple partnership Ebneter & Bärlocher was continued under the Biel family name. Today Ebneter & Biel remains a traditional family business with a single St. Moritz location at Plazza dal Mulin 6, combining a workshop tradition of more than 140 years with a boutique serving an international resort clientele.

The origins of Ebneter & Biel go back to 1880, when hand embroidery was beginning to flourish in Appenzell, Switzerland. The manufactory was run by the Ebneter and Bärlocher families and quickly gained a strong reputation for the extraordinary quality of its embroidery and its timeless, elegant designs. Its specialities then, as now, were hand-embroidered table linen and handkerchiefs; in addition, doilies and the finest silk ladies' underwear were produced to order and according to customers' wishes. In 1911 the firm opened its first shop in the famous Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, and the business grew quickly. The First World War brought this euphoria to an abrupt end. As the war drew to a close, the nineteen-year-old Milly Bärlocher was sent to St. Moritz in 1919 to help get the business back on its feet. In 1925 Milly Bärlocher married Heinrich Biel, and the simple partnership Ebneter & Bärlocher continued under the Biel family. Since 1911 the firm has been established on the St. Moritz market square, today at Plazza dal Mulin 6. It remains a traditional family business, now run in the fourth generation by the siblings Andrea-Rita and Christian Biel. More than 140 years after its founding, the atelier still embroiders table and bed linen as well as handkerchiefs by hand, and the motifs for the embroidery are still drawn by hand in the old tradition, so that each article is described by the company as a work of art and a unique piece.

• 1925

  Milly Bärlocher marries Heinrich Biel; the partnership Ebneter & Bärlocher continues under the Biel family.

• 1919

  Milly Bärlocher is sent to St. Moritz to help revive the business after the First World War.

• 1911

  First shop opens in the Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St. Moritz; the firm grows quickly.

• 1880

  Ebneter & Biel is founded in Appenzell as a hand-embroidery manufactory led by the Ebneter and Bärlocher families.

• The business is run in the fourth generation by siblings Andrea-Rita and Christian Biel at Plazza dal Mulin 6 in St. Moritz.

Traditional Swiss family atelier and boutique for exclusive hand-embroidered table and bed linen, positioned at the premium end of the St. Moritz resort market.

• Hand-embroidered table linen

  Table sets, napkins and tablecloths embroidered by hand, the firm's signature category.

• Hand-embroidered bed linen and bedding

  Bed linen and bedding, including Swiss bed linen and bedding products.

• Hand-embroidered handkerchiefs

  Handkerchiefs embroidered by hand, a traditional speciality since the founding.

• Terry goods

  Terry goods offered among the firm's home-textile categories.

• Doilies

  Doilies, historically produced alongside table linen and handkerchiefs.

• Fine silk ladies' underwear

  Historically made to order and according to customers' wishes.

1. 1Ebneter & Biel - Exklusive handbestickte Tisch- & Bettwäsche seit 1880 in St. Moritzebneter-biel.ch
2. 2Ebneter & Biel - Handstickereien & Heimtextilien seit 1880 / Familienbetrieb in vierter Generationebneter-biel.ch
3. 3Ebneter & Bielwikidata.org