From intelligent blind prototype to phosphorescent fabric
Last Tuesday, students from the fashion house visited the Textile Museum in Tilburg for a sensory immersion in Dutch textile heritage.
As soon as they entered, the steady rustle of the Woollen Blanket Factory’s ancient looms immersed them in the atmosphere of an old-fashioned spinning mill, including the smell of wool and the steam of oil.
The guides then revealed the museum’s four Jacquard Dornier rapier looms, capable of weaving monumental pieces up to 3.5 meters wide.
The students were able to observe the synchronized ballet of the needles and the computer-controlled insertion of the weft thread, discovering how technology extends tradition.
A special stop was devoted to the brand-new Dornier loom, acquired in 2021, which paves the way for 3D structures and interactive fabrics.
At the heart of the tour, the TextielLab, a veritable innovation laboratory, transformed the visit into a workshop: designers and technicians test weaving, knitting, laser cutting and embroidery every day before the public’s very eyes.
Students interacted with the “master weavers”, discovering how a simple pattern can become a prototype for an intelligent awning or a phosphorescent fabric.
Many were surprised to learn that over 200 works of art are produced each year at this hybrid facility where heritage and R&D meet.
The mediator also highlighted the internship opportunities offered to students, proof that the museum is counting on the next generation to reinvent the textiles of tomorrow.
The students left inspired, their notebooks full of samples, convinced that the looms of the past can still weave the future.
