Meet us @ Dutch Design Week

Dutch Design Week celebrates a quarter-century of shaping the future. Under the theme Past. Present. Possible. DDW looks back on its legacy, showcases today’s creative energy and explores what design can become. A platform where ideas come together, possibilities open up and the future is shaped together. Of course we will be present!

Our programme:

Cabinet of Curiosities
Threads of Change: Pushing Boundaries in Sustainable Textiles 
Location: Klokgebouw
Dates and Time: Open every day from 18 – 26 October from 11:00 to 18:00
Programme: As part of the Textile Innovation Hub, NewTexEco is hosting a cabinet of curiosities, led by Troy Nachtigall. Also NewTexEco’s new Care & Repair project is part of this installation.

Driven by the urgency to counter the harmful social and environmental impact of the global textile industry, five research groups from ArtEZ, Saxion and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, together with more than twenty industrial partners, have joined forces in the NewTexEco research community. The presentation Thread of Change: Pioneering Innovations in Sustainable Textiles showcases the consortium’s forward-thinking work, from interactive software to tangible clothing, furniture and even a washing machine developed for the Care & Repair project.

The selection highlights different facets within NewTexEco. From yarns, fabrics and dyes, such as the seaweed-dyed wool carpet by partner Zeefier, to innovative production and design techniques, including digitally designed fashion by Knitwear Lab and software by The Fabricant. Projects focused on clothing maintenance and repair also take centre stage. A compelling example is Closing the Knitwear Loop by New Industrial Order and Knit-it: a prototype for on-demand knitting, made entirely from 100% recycled wool. By combining digital design processes with 3D knitting techniques, this circular system demonstrates the potential for reduced waste, a 70% shorter lead time and 89% lower CO₂ emissions; proving that innovation, efficiency and sustainability can reinforce each other.

Furthermore, personalification, tailoring products to the user, can help extend product lifespan. This is illustrated by bespoke furniture from ByBorre and sweaters featuring symbolic patterns that hold meaning for the communities that designed them. With a strong focus on local production and emerging technologies, these projects underline that much more is possible when we collaborate towards a fair and circular textile system.

This session can be attended free of charge when you also visit the Design Innovation Sessions, featuring the NewTexEco project Care & Repair, on 21 October at Natlab.

Elise van der LaanDesign Innovation Sessions: Thriving Planet
with NewTexEco project Care & Repair
Location: Natlab
Time: 21 October, 11.15 to 12.30 hours
Programme: Part of the Design Innovation Sessions – Fashion for a regenerative future

CLICKNL shows how designers and researchers are working on new perspectives for clothing, materials and culture. NewTexEco partner Leemans & Wicker (LEW) and ArtEZ associate lecturer Elise van der Laan present the Care & Repair project. This revolves around maintenance (care) and repair (repair), with solutions that go beyond repair alone. In this project, we investigate how we can extend the lifespan of clothing through better care and repair. We look at: what does this mean for the daily practice of wearers, tailors, brands and designers, what role can they play in a fashion system where repair and care for clothes is the norm?

Transitions shaping our future
The Thriving Planet session focuses on the question: how can (fashion) design become a catalyst for a future that restores rather than depletes? We explore how designers, researchers and communities are (together) creating regenerative systems, from extending the life cycle of clothes to rethinking our material culture. The session combines current design issues, research and pioneering projects that offer new insights and working solutions. Count on a morning full of inspiration and practical tools, ending with a delicious networking lunch.

Haiko Huvenaars gives a keynote on what drives regenerative change in times of resistance. Doris Hondtong, shares insights from the T-REX project, a Horizon Europe-funded collaboration exploring how design can accelerate circularity in fashion.
Elise van der Laan, Merel Wicker and Kim Leemans explain the brand new project Care & Repair, which explores how care and repair can change the fashion system.

All our participants will receive a free Dutch Design Week wristband, to be collected at your chosen Design Innovation Session.

Launching E-magazine From loose threads to fabric.
– The development of an innovation network for fashion and textiles in the Netherlands.
Following: networking drinks and farewell Lucie Huiskens
Location: New Order of Fashion, Torenallee 22-06, 5617 BD Eindhoven
Time: 21 October, 16:00 – 18:00 hrs.
Programme: During this afternoon, we will present the E-magazine From loose threads to fabric. The development of an innovation network for fashion and textiles in the Netherlands.

The magazine was initiated by Lucie Huiskens and outlines the build-up of a powerful innovation network: from the first report Ontbrekende Bruggen tussen Creatie en Commercie (Missing Bridges between Creation and Commerce), through the emergence of the creative industry as a sector and, as a provisional conclusion, the realisation of the Action Plan Circular Textiles.

Afterwards, during a networking reception, we will say goodbye to Lucie, who is retiring after more than 20 years of building the network. In all those years, she was a constant factor and stimulator of cooperation from Premsela, CLICKNL|NextFashion, NL NextFashion & Textiles, ArtEZ Futuremakers and NewTexEco.

Sign up: We sincerely hope to welcome you. Sign up via this link.

Our participation at Dutch Design Week is strengthened by the creativity and dedication of our students and alumni, who actively contribute to the exhibition:
Myriam Noriega (AMFI), Curatorial Assistant
Kimberly van Dusschoten (AMFI), Intern Design Assistant
Feije van de Wetering (Eindhoven University of Technology), Intern Graphics Assistant
Together, they help shape the presentation and bring the vision of NewTexEco to life.

Our participation in Dutch Design Week is strengthened by the creativity and dedication of our students and alumni, who actively contribute to the exhibition:

• Myriam Noriega (AMFI), Curatorial Assistant
• Kimberly van Dusschoten (AMFI), Intern Design Assistant
• Feije van de Wetering (Eindhoven University of Technology), Intern Graphics Assistant
  

Together, they help shape the presentation and bring the vision of NewTexEco to life.

Image credits news release: ArtEZ Master Fashion-Design-Practice-Held-in-Common.