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

Written by Lucy Adlington

Narrated by Lucy Adlington

A powerful chronicle of the women who used their sewing skills to survive the Holocaust, stitching beautiful clothes at an extraordinary fashion workshop created within one of the most notorious WWII death camps. 

At the height of the Holocaust twenty-five young inmates of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp—mainly Jewish women and girls—were selected 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. 

This fashion workshop—called the Upper Tailoring Studio—was established by Hedwig Höss, the camp commandant’s wife, and patronized by the wives of SS guards and officers. Here, the dressmakers produced high-quality garments for SS social functions in Auschwitz, and for ladies from Nazi Berlin’s upper crust. 

Drawing on diverse sources—including interviews with the last surviving seamstress—The Dressmakers of Auschwitz follows the fates of these brave women. Their bonds of family and friendship not only helped them endure persecution, but also to play their part in camp resistance. Weaving the dressmakers’ remarkable experiences within the context of Nazi policies for plunder and exploitation, historian 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.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Sep 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063030954

Lucy Adlington

Lucy Adlington is a British novelist and clothes historian with more than twenty years’ experience researching social history and writing fiction and nonfiction. She lives in Yorkshire, England. 

Reviews for The Dressmakers of Auschwitz

[Leslie Cohen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A significant contribution to history. A remarkable combination of research and interviews. A must read interested in European history and culture.

[Carmen Badea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing book … beautiful written details… beautiful, courageous ladies and men’s …

[cindy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Book was written with the sorrow of the events being told.
So many lives and the pain that was imposed on them. One can only imagine the inhumane punishment one human can inflict upon another. The author left nothing to the imagination of the reader.
Ordinarily I would not have read a book in this genre……being a
tailoress myself I was intrigued to find out just how this was accomplished in times such as it was happening in a location and time as that.
Well written and the narrator did a fine job.

[Connie Hulme · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Heartfelt and real truth in tribute to their lives. Incredible

[Becki Basley · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The dressmakers of Auschwitz: the true story of the women who sewed to survive by Lucy Adington
(Scribd audiobook)

The true story of 25 young inmates (majority of them Jewish) selected to work in a dedicated workshop to make beautiful clothes for high ranking Nazis while being held in Auschwitz death camp.
The story of how they survived is remarkable but the telling of it in my opinion only was not the greatest. To me their stories were rushed and their time working in the actual workshop was limited. More was told about their lives after the war and after the salon closed. I have to say again Thur resilience was extraordinary but personally I was not a fan of the writing style.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lucy Adington retells the horrors of the Holocaust with personal stories of a small group of women who survived due to their sewing skills. The Germans needed haute couture amid World War II and turned to captured Jewish women in Auschwitz. Adington captures the background of the Nazi movement in many chapters, many a little too many before turning to the group of Jewish concentration women forced to sew for the Germans. Adington’s story presents many photographs of the women and the conditions of their existence. Loyalty and friendship shine through all the atrocities of Auschwitz.

[booklover1801 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A prodigious amount of research went into Lucy Adlington's remarkable work of non-fiction, "The Dressmakers of Auschwitz." Most of the dressmakers whose stories are recounted in these pages were Jews from Slovakia, Bratislava, Hungary, and Transylvania. Along with their families and friends, they were deported to Auschwitz in cattle cars and, upon arrival, were plunged into a hellhole of freezing cold; putrid food; verbal and physical abuse; and exhausting manual labor. Fortunately, Hedwig Höss, the wife of Auschwitz's commandant, Rudolf Höss, loved fine clothing. When she discovered that certain prisoners were talented with a needle and thread, she and other high-ranking SS wives took advantage of the inmates' skills. In a salon knows as the "Upper Tailoring Studio," overseen by the capable and compassionate Marta Fuchs, the seamstresses performed expert alterations and created beautiful coats, dresses, and children's garments.

Irene, Bracha, Katka, Olga, Hunya, and other dressmakers formed "the most incredible bonds of friendship and loyalty." Their mutual support while in captivity helped them persevere in "a grotesque world where lives could be rescued, ruined, or ended on a whim." Furthermore, Lucy Adlington, a fashion historian, brilliantly explores the concept of clothing as a metaphor for human dignity. The Nazis dehumanized the Jews by stripping them of their possessions, shaving their heads, tattooing their arms, and forcing them to wear lice-ridden garments. In contrast, many of Hitler's followers were decked out in military-style uniforms that fostered "group pride and identity."

There is so much to love about this elegantly and sensitively written book, in which the author provides a window into a little-known aspect of Jewish survival during the Holocaust. Adlington emphasizes that small acts of kindness and sharing helped prevent the Jewish captives from sinking into despair. It is amazing that these women, who suffered so much hardship and humiliation, had the ability to work long hours turning out expertly tailored garments. "The Dressmakers of Auschwitz" is a testament to the resilience and courage of a band of brave and resilient women who sewed to stay alive "in the midst of industrialized genocide."

[ellenh_28 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Somehow I was unable to finish this. While I want to understand the time and place, and want no one to forget this, just the horror of those Nazi women being able to make themselves believe that this was in any way something to be involved in. Maybe disgust is a better word for taking over someone's (a victim of the treachery of those camps) clothing for fashion purposes was something I just couldn't read about. I want to applaud those camp women who survived in spite of it all and for Lucy Addington for her research into this story.

[Pekelucia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love all reading about the Holocaust; this one has captivated me since minute one. Like all of them, it is tough, but it is so necessary to understand history, survival, and courage. (Translated from Spanish)

[cris7500 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good book, but I think it could be better explained, as, especially at the beginning, there is a lot of confusion with the characters and there are plots that are not clear. I suppose the author has so much information that it's hard to weave it all together.
Still, congratulations to the author for all the research and effort she has put in. (Translated from Spanish)

[SILVIATGH · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The horror of the Holocaust from another facet, equally terrible, equally painful. A very good piece of research. It hurts to read. (Translated from Spanish)

[haydee57 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Interesting and heartbreaking review of what happened in the Holocaust. (Translated from Spanish)

[JokinZ · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of twenty-five women who managed to survive thanks to their skills as seamstresses in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. A true and shocking story that narrates day-to-day life in a Nazi concentration camp. Personally, I enjoy well-argued historical narratives, and there is no doubt that "The Seamstresses of Auschwitz" has significant research behind it, which is evident in the quality of the narrative that captivates from its first pages. The brutality of the SS, the gas chambers, and the struggle for survival in the camp are reflected in a very credible way in the work. A highly recommended read for fans of the historical genre; personally, I was deeply affected by it, and I can only recommend reading "The Seamstresses of Auschwitz." See you soon.

Jokin (Translated from Spanish)