The Dressmakers of Auschwitz. The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive

Historical non-fiction

At the height of the Holocaust twenty-five young inmates of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp were singled out. Their fate? To design, cut, and sew beautiful fashions for elite Nazi women in a dedicated salon. It was work that they hoped would spare them from the gas chambers. Established by Hedwig Höss, the camp commandant's wife, The Upper Tailoring Studio fashion workshop was patronized by the wives of SS guards and officers. Here, the dressmakers produced high-quality garments for SS social functions in Auschwitz, and the Nazi elite in Berlin. The Dressmakers of Auschwitz follows the fates of the brave workers. It draws on diverse sources, including interviews with the last surviving seamstress. This account shows how their bonds of family and friendship not only helped them endure persecution, but also to play their part in camp resistance.

How fiction inspired non-fiction

Lucy first wrote a fictional account of the Auschwitz sewing studio in The Red Ribbon, aimed at young adults. After relatives of the real-life seamstresses contacted her, she was inspired to write the true story, leading to the publication of The Dressmakers of Auschwitz.

Reviews

"Lucy Adlington tells of the horrors of the Nazi occupation and the concentration camps from a fascinating and original angle. She introduces us to a little known aspect of the period, highlighting the role of clothes in the grimmest of societies imaginable and giving an insight into the women who stayed alive by stitching." – Alexandra Shulman, author of Clothes...and other things that matter
"An utterly absorbing, important and unique historical read." – Judy Batalion, New York Times bestselling author of The Light of Our Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos
"Detailed and absorbing." – Times Literary Supplement
"Lucy Adlington exposes the greed, cruelty, and hypocrisy of the Third Reich and offers a fresh look at a little-known chapter of World War II and the Holocaust." – London Review Bookshop
"Her prose, imagery, and clear, unsentimental narratorial voice conjure the very women who brushed ash from their hair as they passed the crematoria on their way to work at Auschwitz’s Upper Tailoring Studio." – Historical Novel Society
"The clothing workers’ experiences are vividly recreated through the author’s extensive research, including interviews with the last surviving dressmaker… Even those who feel that they’ve read enough survivor accounts will find themselves surprised and affected." – Publishers Weekly