Embroidery is the art of embellishing fabric by applying thread in decorative patterns, often enhanced with beads, sequins, or other surface details. Unlike weaving or knitting, which build a fabric’s structure, embroidery is a surface design technique—a way of drawing with thread. It has existed for thousands of years, with examples found in ancient Egypt, China, and Central Asia, where embroidered garments were seen as symbols of wealth, rank, and artistry. In Europe, centres like St. Gallen in Switzerland and Madeira in Portugal became globally renowned for their embroidery traditions, feeding directly into couture fashion houses.

At Somewhere Never, we work with a specialist embroidery design house in Switzerland that blends this heritage with modern textile engineering. Their designs are developed using state-of-the-art machinery that can place thousands of micro-stitches with extraordinary precision. This technology allows us to create embroidery that is not only visually bold and colourful, but also technically suited for lingerie—lightweight, durable, and flexible enough to move with the body.

In our hands, embroidery becomes more than decoration: it’s a statement. Each design is unique to us, created like a work of art, transforming lingerie into something meant to be seen—not hidden away.

Embroidery is one of the earliest decorative arts, with evidence dating back over 30,000 years in the form of fossilised, hand-stitched garments and ceremonial textiles. In ancient China, silk embroidery was prized as highly as painting, while in Egypt and the Middle East it was used to signify power and devotion. By the medieval period, embroidery had become a global language of prestige: from the lavish ecclesiastical robes of Europe to the ornate suzani cloths of Central Asia and the storytelling kantha quilts of India.

In the modern era, embroidery evolved from painstaking handwork into a key element of both fashion and industry. The invention of the embroidery machine in the 19th century meant designs could be produced at scale, and later, advances in computer-aided technology made possible the kind of intricate detailing that once took artisans months to complete.

At Somewhere Never, we embrace this continuum of tradition and innovation: centuries-old craft, translated through the most advanced textile machinery, to create designs that are as technically precise as they are visually striking.

Different regions developed distinct embroidery traditions that became cultural signatures.

- China – Silk embroidery such as Suzhou embroidery, famed for its painterly detail.

- India – Rich traditions like zardozi (metallic threadwork) and kantha (narrative stitching).

- Middle East – Palestinian tatreez and Persian guldozi, both storytelling crafts.

- Eastern Europe – Hungary, Romania, and Ukraine are known for bold folkloric motifs.

- Switzerland (St. Gallen) – Renowned since the 19th century for precision embroidery, supplying haute couture houses.

Embroidery is far more versatile than many people imagine. Beyond clothing and couture, it has become a tool in design, art, technology, and even medicine.

- Home & Interiors: Decorative embroidery is still a staple in cushions, curtains, table linens, and heritage crafts — often tied to cultural identity and storytelling.

- Art & Installations: Contemporary artists use embroidery to “draw with thread,” creating wall pieces, 3D sculptures, and even political works that reinterpret a historically domestic craft in bold, modern ways.

- Medical Applications: Innovative research has produced embroidered electrodes stitched into fabric that can monitor heart activity or muscle movement. Because embroidery allows conductive threads to be precisely placed, it’s being used to make soft, wearable sensors for rehabilitation and health tracking. For example, embroidered textile patches have been trialled to detect irregular heartbeats without bulky equipment.

- Technology (E-textiles): Embroidery has entered the world of smart fabrics. Using conductive threads, stitches can carry current just like wires. This opens possibilities for garments that light up, change colour, or interact with devices. One system, called e-broidery®, even integrates LEDs directly into fabric through embroidered circuits — so light and pattern become one.

- Sports & Performance: Smart embroidered sensors are being explored in athletic wear to track breathing, posture, or motion, combining performance analysis with comfort.

From a fashion perspective, this makes embroidery one of the rare crafts that is both ancient and futuristic — it decorates, it communicates, and it now even connects us to technology and health.

Lace and embroidery often sit side by side in lingerie, but they’re very different textiles. Lace is an openwork fabric created entirely from thread — through looping, twisting, or knitting — so the fabric is the pattern. Embroidery, on the other hand, is decoration applied onto a base fabric, building texture, imagery, and detail with stitches. Lace is fabric; embroidery is design.

Traditionally, lace carries connotations of delicacy and heritage. Embroidery, however, has evolved into something far more experimental thanks to modern machinery. Today, it can be engineered with hundreds of thread colours, sequins, metallics, and even layered effects — almost like painting or printing with thread. It can be bold, graphic, and entirely bespoke.

At Somewhere Never, we choose embroidery because it gives us control. I can sketch a design, work directly with an atelier to digitise it, and produce it in small batches without the constraints that lace machinery usually demands. Lace is beautiful, but it often feels expected — embroidery lets us break rules, play with scale and colour, and create something surprising. That difference is exactly what makes our lingerie feel modern, fashion-led, and unmistakably ours.

Embroidery itself isn’t naturally stretchy — it depends on the fabric it’s stitched onto. If applied to stretch fabrics (like mesh with Lycra), the embroidery can move, but the motifs need to be carefully spaced or they risk warping. That’s why embroidery often feels firmer in decorated areas compared to the plain sections.

At Somewhere Never, I embroider onto sheer, almost translucent rigid tulle. This has two advantages: first, it preserves the crispness and precision of the design without distortion; second, it creates the illusion that the embroidery is floating directly on the skin. The tulle has just a little mechanical give to aid shaping, but most of the contour in our bras comes from darts, seams, and cut — not from stretch fabric.

The result is embroidery that looks like artwork suspended on the body — bold, graphic, and architectural, with a lightness that feels unexpected in lingerie.

All our embroidery is crafted with Setafil yarns, which are known in the textile industry for their exceptional softness, durability, and rich colour retention. They’re designed to feel smooth against the skin while holding their shape and vibrancy over time.

That said, embroidery naturally adds texture, and very sensitive skin can sometimes notice it. If that’s you, here are a few ways to keep things comfortable:

- Silicone pasties – we offer these as a simple barrier between the embroidery and your skin, so you can enjoy the look without any direct friction.

- Layering tip – style your bra under a sheer blouse or mesh top. This way, the embroidery is still on show, but with an ultra-soft layer between you and the fabric.

- Metallic yarns – some of our designs feature Lurex for a flash of shimmer. If you know you’re sensitive to metallic fibres, you may want to choose our non-Lurex styles instead.

Our philosophy: fashion should look spectacular but also feel good. That’s why we offer styling solutions alongside thoughtful materials, so you never have to compromise between comfort and design.

Our embroidery threads are made from high-quality synthetic fibres such as polyester or rayon. These are specifically chosen for lingerie because they:

- Hold bold colour – synthetic fibres take dye evenly and resist fading, which keeps designs vibrant.

- Stay smooth – advanced yarns like Setafil are engineered for a silky hand-feel against the skin.

- Avoid pilling – unlike some natural fibres, these threads resist the tiny bobbles or fuzz (pills) that can appear with friction.

- Maintain strength – they’re less prone to fraying or snapping, so the embroidery lasts beautifully even when worn under clothing.

I researched natural yarns for embroidery, and at the moment the only widely available options are cotton and silk. Both are beautiful but not ideal for lingerie: when exposed to the constant friction of daily wear, cotton and silk threads can pill, weaken, and eventually break. They also aren’t commercially produced on the same scale, which makes them harder to source and significantly more expensive (especially silk).

For Somewhere Never, choosing synthetics means creating garments that are durable, sustainable in their longevity, and commercially viable in small batches — so the embroidery stays crisp and bold without sacrificing wearability.

Embroidery is taught worldwide, but a few schools are legendary:

- Royal School of Needlework (UK) – renowned for hand embroidery, including royal wedding gowns.

- École Lesage (Paris) – the historic atelier linked to Chanel, teaching couture techniques still used by Dior, Schiaparelli, and Balmain.

- Central Saint Martins (London) – famous for pushing textile innovation, with alumni like Alexander McQueen.

- FIT (New York) and Parsons (New York) – leading American schools where embroidery is studied alongside fashion technology and design.

Personal note: During a university exchange from the UK, I studied at FIT in New York and took my very first lingerie and corsetry class — the moment that sparked my love for lingerie design. A few years later, after moving to Sydney, I took hand embroidery classes that deepened my appreciation for the craft and gave me insight into embroidery as both tradition and technique.

Couture thrives on artistry, rarity, and time — and embroidery embodies all three. It transforms fabric into sculpture, something designers like Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, and Valentino have used to breathtaking effect. Dior’s 1947 “New Look” often featured lavish embroidered florals, while more recently, Maria Grazia Chiuri has turned embroidery into a form of storytelling at Dior. Schiaparelli’s surrealist gowns, embroidered with eyes, faces, and constellations, show how stitches can move beyond decoration into pure art. Embroidery is labour-intensive — a single couture gown may take hundreds of hours of handwork, with every bead or sequin individually placed. That’s why iconic garments such as Givenchy’s gowns for Audrey Hepburn or Alexander McQueen’s Savage Beauty collection are remembered as much for their embroidery as their silhouette. Personal note: Early in my career, seeing couture embroidery up close changed the way I thought about lingerie. It made me realise embroidery could be bold, modern, and fashion-led — not just delicate or decorative. That perspective still drives Somewhere Never today.

Embroidery is a global language, and many cultures have made it iconic in their own ways:

- China – Suzhou silk embroidery, famed for its painterly detail, still referenced in high fashion (for example, Guo Pei’s embroidered gown worn by Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala).

- India – zardozi goldwork, once prized in Mughal courts, is still used by designers like Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi, and even couture houses that collaborate with Indian ateliers.

- Eastern Europe – Ukrainian vyshyvanka and Hungarian folk embroidery continue to inspire designers from Vita Kin to Valentino.

- Middle East – Palestinian tatreez embroidery holds deep cultural and political significance and is celebrated by contemporary artists and designers alike.

- Switzerland (St. Gallen) – world-famous for its precision machine embroidery, supplying houses like Chanel and Dior.

- Mexico – Otomi textiles, with their vibrant flora and fauna, have inspired collections by Carolina Herrera and beyond.

Embroidery evolves differently in each place — sometimes as art, sometimes as storytelling, sometimes as high fashion — but always as a reflection of culture and identity.

At Somewhere Never, our embroideries are designed from scratch in collaboration with a Swiss atelier, but my influences are personal rather than cultural. I grew up in the UK surrounded by classic British design, studied lingerie and corsetry in New York, and later took hand embroidery classes in Sydney. Travel has shaped me too: places like Palm Springs — with its bold mid-century architecture, graphic poolside patterns, and sun-bleached colour palettes — feed directly into the way I think about shapes, colour, and design. I’m drawn to geometric forms, clean lines, data-like repetition, and unusual colour combinations not typically seen in lingerie. These lived experiences, stitched together, form the unique design language of Somewhere Never.

For centuries, embroidery was more than decoration — it was a visible sign of wealth, power, and prestige.

Materials of luxury – Threads of silk, gold, and silver were incredibly costly, and often combined with pearls or jewels. In medieval Europe, sumptuary laws restricted heavily embroidered clothing to nobility and clergy. In China, only emperors and their households were permitted to wear dragon-embroidered robes.

Time and labour – Hand embroidery could take months or even years to complete. Each stitch represented the skill of artisans whose work was often passed down through guilds or family traditions.

Symbolism – Embroidery was loaded with meaning: Tudor roses on Elizabeth I’s gowns, imperial dragons in China, or sacred motifs in church vestments all communicated status, power, or divine favour.

In fashion history, some of the most famous garments have been richly embroidered: Elizabeth I’s 16th-century gowns embroidered with flora and fauna, Chinese imperial robes from the Qing dynasty, or, more recently, John Galliano’s gold-embroidered couture for Dior and Valentino’s lavishly stitched garden dresses. Embroidery has always signalled that a garment is not only clothing, but an object of art and importance.

At Somewhere Never, we honour that tradition in a modern way. Our embroidery isn’t about hierarchy or status — it’s about individuality. By using bold motifs, unusual colour combinations, and unexpected graphic references, we create lingerie that feels special and fashion-led, but designed to be worn and enjoyed by anyone.

Embroidery can be created in two very different ways — each with its own character and place in fashion history.

Hand embroidery – Every stitch is placed individually by an artisan. This allows for texture, irregularity, and a sense of the human hand in the work. Historic examples include the gowns of Elizabeth I, covered in hand-embroidered flora and fauna, or ecclesiastical vestments heavy with gold thread. In modern fashion, couture houses like Chanel and Dior still rely on ateliers such as Lesage and Montex for hand-embellished gowns. Iconic pieces include Alexander McQueen’s “Plato’s Atlantis” embroidered feather gown and Valentino’s star-studded celestial dresses.

Machine embroidery – First industrialised in the 19th century in places like St. Gallen, Switzerland, machine embroidery allowed motifs to be repeated with exact precision. Today, high-tech machines can layer dozens of colours, metallic threads, sequins, or even beads in a single design. Designers such as Balmain, Elie Saab, and Marchesa frequently use this method for red-carpet gowns that demand both scale and detail.

Both forms of embroidery can be couture-level — the difference lies in whether the artistry is human-made, machine-enabled, or, increasingly, a blend of the two.

At Somewhere Never, our embroideries begin as hand-drawn motifs — my sketches translated into stitch maps. From there, we work with Swiss specialists who use state-of-the-art machines to achieve bold, graphic embroidery that can be produced in small batches without losing precision. It’s the perfect balance of couture spirit and modern innovation.

Printed fabrics are created with dyes or digital inks applied directly onto cloth. It’s fast, efficient, and scalable — thousands of metres can be produced quickly at relatively low cost. Embroidery, however, is a slower and more intricate process, which is why it has always been associated with luxury:

Design translation – before stitching begins, each motif must be mapped into thousands of stitch points using specialist software.

Machinery & set-up – embroidery requires machines engineered to handle multiple threads, sequins, metallics, or beads with precision.

Production time – even at an industrial level, embroidery runs far more slowly than printing.

Small-batch economics – embroidery is rarely cost-effective in high volume, which makes it prized for limited-edition work.

This difference is why embroidered fabrics are chosen for standout fashion moments: Oscar de la Renta’s embroidered evening gowns, Naeem Khan’s ornate red-carpet pieces, and Guo Pei’s sculptural couture all show how embroidery carries dimension and drama that flat printing cannot achieve.

At Somewhere Never, embroidery is at the heart of our identity, but we also experiment with technique. In our Super Fan collection, one design was first embroidered in ivory yarn and then over-printed with colour. This allowed us to achieve vibrant shades unrestricted by the standard Setafil colour chart — a perfect example of embroidery and print working together to create something unexpected.

That’s the difference: print gives surface pattern, embroidery gives texture, depth, and longevity — qualities that elevate lingerie from fabric into fashion.

Embroidered lingerie deserves a little extra care to keep it looking bold and beautiful. Unlike printed fabrics, embroidery has raised texture and fine threads that can catch or distort if washed too harshly.

Our care tips:

- Hand wash only in cool water with a mild detergent.

- Avoid scrubbing, soaking, or wringing — this can stress the stitches or distort the tulle base.

- Rinse thoroughly, press out water gently with a towel, and air dry flat away from direct heat or sunlight.

- Never tumble dry or bleach.

- If you really must use a washing machine: place your lingerie in a wash bag (so zippers or hooks don’t snag the embroidery), wash with like colours only, use a cold, gentle cycle, and always choose a mild detergent.

At Somewhere Never, we design embroidery with durability in mind — but a little care goes a long way. Follow these steps and your lingerie will stay vibrant, crisp, and wearable for years.

Sustainability in embroidery isn’t just about the fibre content — it’s about longevity and intention.

- Durability – High-quality synthetic threads (like the Setafil yarns we use) resist fading, pilling, and breakage, which means embroidery lasts longer than many printed fabrics. Longevity itself is sustainable: a piece you wear for years has far less environmental impact than something disposable.

- Small-batch production – At Somewhere Never, embroidery is created in limited runs, not mass-produced. This reduces waste and avoids the overstock issues that fuel fast fashion.

- Design-led investment – Embroidery adds value to fabric, turning lingerie into something you’ll want to treasure and re-wear, rather than replace.

- Material choices – While natural fibres like silk and cotton aren’t durable enough for lingerie embroidery, modern synthetics allow us to balance wearability, longevity, and minimal waste.

That said, I’m always looking ahead: I hope that one day technology and fibre innovation will make it possible to create biodegradable embroideries on a commercial scale — with both the base fabrics and the yarns designed to break down naturally. Until then, my focus is on producing lingerie that lasts, so every piece is something to keep, not throw away.