''International Textiles'' (later ''The Ambassador'') was a British export

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

for textiles and fashion. It was published in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

by Pallas Studio established by Ludwig Katz and a

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

publishing house De Spaarnestad.

Background

The half-Jewish Ludwig Katz, former Advertising Manager of L. Schottlaender & Co (publishers of the textile periodical ''Der Konfektionär''), has fled with his family penniless to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, after the periodical was " aryerized". Nevertheless, his wide business contacts facilitated his establishment of Pallas Studio and helped him to launch ''International Textiles'' on 15 December 1933. László Moholy-Nagy became the

Art Director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

of the magazine, dictated the total format of ''International Textiles'' and brought to bear his wide range of elementary graphic devices and their agile permutation to direct the reader's mind through forceful, clear, legible and fresh layouts. He relished the publisher's new

typeface A typeface (or font family) is the design of lettering that can include variations in size, weight (e.g. bold), slope (e.g. italic), width (e.g. condensed), and so on. Each of these variations of the typeface is a font. There are list of type ...

, an important feature in regulating the tri-lingual text. His constant questioning of the page space and sequence, supported by judicious, visual contrasts, demonstrated how his commercial graphics were extensions to, rather than imitations of, his paintings and typophotos, but were similarly aimed at public enlightenment. With this periodical, published twice a month and read in over thirty-five countries, Moholy achieved his widest dissemination of the new typography, though anonymously.

History

In 1933 the magazine International Textiles was set up in

where it was published every two months. In the same year a

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

office was opened under the direction of Hans Juda. Initially the magazine included advertisements, editorial comment and illustrated fashion news on all aspects of international fashion and textiles. It also featured articles on the international economic situation and export markets, as well as reporting on exhibitions and trade fairs. The text was published in Dutch, English, French and German. At the outbreak of the Second World War communications were severed between the Dutch and English offices and the two journals continued publication independently during the War, both using the title ''International Textiles''. With the end of the War this situation was formalised and from March 1946 the British magazine changed its title to ''The Ambassador'', acting as the British export journal for textiles and fashion. The original magazine continued publication in the

under the title ''International Textiles''. In 1946 ''The Ambassador'' had offices in 45 countries worldwide. During the post-war period the magazine featured articles on developments in trade and industry, the introduction of new dyes, finishes and yarns, and the establishment of new organisations to promote fashion and textiles such as the Colour, Design and Style Centre in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. It also included a regular monthly discussion on the present and future textile trade with features on dress, fashions, furnishing fabrics, carpets and household linen. The magazine closed in 1972.

Important Contributors

One of the most important contributors was Max Hoff, whose early art was published in the magazine in 1934.

References

* "Albers and Moholy-Nagy: from the Bauhaus to the new world" by Achim Borchardt-Hume
Textiles in the V&A Archives
{{italic title 1933 establishments in the Netherlands 1972 disestablishments in the Netherlands Bi-monthly magazines published in the Netherlands Defunct magazines published in the Netherlands Business magazines published in the Netherlands Magazines established in 1933 Magazines disestablished in 1972 Magazines published in Amsterdam Professional and trade magazines Textile industry