Tassels and decorative trims have been used for both fashion and interiors for centuries. The use of tassels has been depicted in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings dating as far back as 1300 B.C. Although handmade trimmings were popular in Italy in the 15th and in the beginning of the 16th Century, the French perfected the art of passementerie during the 16th century and especially the 17th century with the founding of a passementerie Guild in 1653. The guilds in France were strictly structured and to become a ‘passementier’ required a long apprenticeship, at the end of which one would have to produce an original piece of work. Based on the quality and beauty of that piece, one might be accepted or rejected.    Although, passementerie reached its zenith during the Victorian era, a period known for its opulent taste. Fringes, tassels, gold and silver cord, embroidery for clothing, and furnishings have always been popular. Nowadays, huge quantities of passementerie are machine made in Chinese factories and then sold at very low prices. This practice has dealt a nearly fatal blow to a venerable handicraft. In France alone, since the 1950’s, more than two hundred passementerie workshops have closed down. Sevinch and Michael Deman, a British couple living in Cairo, own one of the last companies in the world, involved in the creation of handmade passementerie. “The skills are certainly disappearing. Even in Egypt, the pressure on costs and on wages has resulted in an exodus of skilled weavers to other economic sectors. The passementerie hand-loom is very difficult to master, and most weavers learn at the knee of their weaver fathers,” said Michael.
“It takes many years of application, and each weaver that migrates to taxi-driving is in practical terms irreplaceable. While it may be too strong a statement to declare that hand-made passementerie is dying, its immediate future looks bleak.”  The Demans specialize in the customized work that few are able to do. They restore old trimmings, and have recently been commissioned to produce two huge pink tassels for the movie “Nine”. They have also collaborated with Christian Louboutin, the famous French shoemaker and created a collection of beautiful necklaces that combined passementerie with semi-precious stones, designed by Loulou de la Falaise. “In both fashion and home furnishings, two factors come into play: The first consists of the effects of fashion cycles and the consequent fluctuation of demand for “fancy” accessories. The demand never really went away. It is true that the Western world in particular has gone through quite a lengthy cyclical trend towards minimalism, which has always been the passementier’s worst enemy... Nevertheless even in such times, a certain market segment continues to work with passementerie,” explained Michael.
“To offset the cyclical decline, markets such as Russia and the Middle East have remained relatively robust. The Arab world, in particular is an avid consumer of passementerie; however, we have noted that at the very top end of the Arab furnishings market, the minimalist/modernist trend has taken hold. Elsewhere, we have seen signs that there appears to be a slow return form minimalist towards the styles that traditionally use passementerie,” he added.
Although most trims are based on designs from the 17th, 18th, and 19th-century, innovative ideas are constantly coming up such as crystal, plastic and Murano-glass beads as well as shells threaded on fringe; chenille loop fringe; crinkled silk ribbon fringe.  Passementerie adds texture, a touch of glamour and depth to a room. It also puts the finishing touch to the decoration. Choosing the right trim, however, is an art. To find a fringe for a curtain, one must not focus only on the fabric. The choice should take into consideration the overall ambience of the room, as well as the shape and measurements of the windows.
Despite the industrialization of the profession, the most sophisticated trimmings are still hand-made. According to experts, trim produced on a mechanized loom never looks quite the same.    “The weaver working on an old Jacquard loom has put so much thought into warping it up, having the threads in a certain way, the color flowing in patterns,” said Marion Smith who has done custom work for the Winsor Castle restoration. Sevinch has had a passion for passementerie ever since she found an old, moth-eaten tassel in the Khan El Khalili Souk in Cairo. That was in 1992. Today her tassels are hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Wallace Collection, embassies, palaces, and the homes of the rich and famous.
Sevinch is especially fascinated by all the applications that passementerie can be used for. She and her husband are looking at ways in which the elements and techniques they use can be transferred to jewelry, together with the use of other non-fiber elements such as copper, silver, as well as glass, crystal beadwork, and semi precious stones. The Deman’s are shortly going to launch an exclusive collection of jewelry and fashion accessories including cuff links, earrings, brooches, bracelets, tasseled eyeglass-holders, necklaces and belts. Thanks to the talent, creativity and dedication of this extraordinary couple, the exquisite art of handmade passementerie is reinventing itself and assuring its future.