Between craft and commerce: Norwegian and Danish textile design in a time of change

The 1960 and 1970s was a time of radical change in the fashion industry. Improved production technologies, the liberation of interstate trade and changing consumer preferences challenged the existing system of provision. The status of textile design was the object of considerable debate in the period, which revolved around the status of clothing in relation to other types of applied arts as well as the relationship between craft and industrial production. This development is explored through two cases: The Norwegian weaver Sigrun Berg and the Danish printer Grete Ehs Østergaard, who may be viewed as transitional figures in this process. The chapter argues that overlapping and competing systems of production and consumption characterized the period and discusses how Denmark and Norway took different paths in the face of this change.