About DMC

DMC has a rich heritage of quality and innovation. All our thread is made in the same factory in Mulhouse, France where it has been made since 1898. DMC is woven into the fabric of the community, our history is everywhere you look and many residents are proud of their personal connections to the company.

About DMC

DMC has a rich heritage of quality and innovation. All our thread is made in the same factory in Mulhouse, France where it has been made since 1898. DMC is woven into the fabric of the community, our history is everywhere you look and many residents are proud of their personal connections to the company.

Heritage

Founded in 1746

Quality

Unrivalled Quality

Colour

500+ Colours

Watch our
Story
1746 - 1806

1746 • Jean-Henri Dollfus, Jean-Jacques Schmalzer and Samuel Koechlin start joint venture to manufacture Chintz.

1800 • Daniel Dollfus-Mieg (Jean-Henri's son) takes over The Dollfus-Mieg & Compagnie, (DMC) brand is born.

1806 • Win a silver medal at the 4th Exposition des produits de l'industrie française.

1829 - 1878

1829 • Power weaving plant installed.

1834 • Win gold medal at the the 8th Exposition des produits de l'industrie française.

1853 • Building of worker’s village begins.

1870s • Frédéric Engel-Dollfus (Daniel’s son-in-law) devotes himself to philanthropy and worker welfare.

1871-74 • Frédéric’s work with L’Association Préventive des Accidents successfully influences health and safety laws in France and Germany that protect workers.

1878 • DMC’s unrivalled status is recognised when it is awarded the Hors Concours at the Exhibition in Paris.

1884 - 1961

1884 • Renowned embroiderer and writer Thérèse de Dillmont starts collaboration with DMC, writing her famous encyclopedia of stitch Encyclopédie des Ouvrages de Dames.

1895 • Worker’s village now includes 1,200 affordable homes, accessible amenities and community spaces.

1898 • Iconic stranded embroidery thread Mouliné Spécial is created.

1961 • Merger with Thiriez & Cartier Bresson, the DMC adopts the famous horse’s head into its logo.

Our
Company

Founded in Mulhouse, France in 1746, DMC is a leading global needlecraft company with a strong heritage of high quality, innovative European manufacturing that continues to this day. It produces the world’s finest embroidery threads in the same factory it has always used. Its iconic stranded embroidery thread is available in over 500 colours and is the standard colour reference in embroidery patterns and fashion houses all over the world. Continuing its success into the future, DMC is now part of the wider DMC Group that brings together iconic, market-leading, needlecraft brands Rowan, Sirdar and Wool and the Gang. Each with its own strong heritage for producing quality threads, yarns and patterns. The Group also owns Tilsatec, a manufacturer of cut-resistant technical yarns and PPE.

Our
History

In 1746 Jean-Henri Dollfus, Jean-Jacques Schmalzer and Samuel Koechlin started a joint venture to manufacture indienne in France. Indienne is a colourful printed fabric originally developed by artisans in India. These lightweight printed fabrics created a revolution in fashion because they made colourful patterned fabric affordable for the masses. In 1800 Jean-Henri’s nephew Daniel headed the company. Married to Anne-Marie Mieg they created a lasting name for the brand The Dollfus-Mieg & Compagnie - DMC. The business was highly successful, winning awards at the huge industrial exhibitions of the time. Jean-Henri’s sons, Jean, Daniel and Emile and his son-in-law Frédéric Engel, laid the foundations for DMC to become the business it is today. It was a family enterprise. Frederic’s political and social engagement, Emile’s passion for manufacturing and Daniel’s expertise in chemistry and dyeing, teamed with Jean’s recognition of the booming popularity of needlecraft, created the legacy of quality, colour and cultural influence that are still alive in DMC. Emile introduced mercerisation, a technique that created the unique shine and strength of DMC threads. Daniel, the scientist of the family, improved the dyeing processes and possibilities, unlocking the world of colour and creating the famous colourfast quality of the threads. By 1888 DMC began to focus solely on thread manufacture and in 1898 our iconic stranded embroidery thread, Mouliné Spécial was created.

Jean was a visionary, when he met renowned Austrian embroiderer Thérèse de Dillmont at the Universal Exhibition of 1878, he instantly recognised her talent and potential. In 1884 he finally persuaded her to leave the Vienna Embroidery Academy to found an embroidery school in nearby Dornach. It began a fruitful collaboration with DMC that helped build our reputation for clear instructions and illustrations. Thérèse went on to write her famous Encyclopédie des Ouvrages de Dames, which was first published in 1886 and is still considered an authority today. Thérèse de Dillmont’s designs are amongst those you can download from the DMC website. Frédéric-Engel founded a large number of charities and initiatives to support the health, wellbeing and education workers including an emergency fund, schools and facilities for children. Some of these initiatives were so successful they expanded to include workers from other companies. Most famously he co-founded the Preventive Accidents Association which led to the development of health and safety laws in Germany and France.

Our
People

"DMC’s heritage is present every day, through the century old machines we are using, through the beautiful colours we are producing every day and through this exceptional building in which we are working."

Jean-Luc Barbier – Technical Product Development Manager

"When the thread is this beautiful and people expect this level of quality, I think it’s my duty to uphold this. They are magnificent, beautiful and I believe they bring a little bit of happiness to the people around them."

Edmée Baudrey – Product Display Executive

"My mother worked there, I met my wife there, I worked there for 40 years. 40 years of memories, 40 years of work in this company that has given me everything."

Hubert Hoerth – Product Manager