Long Live Fashion

How can we make clothes last longer? This autumn, the TextielMuseum in Tilburg will present ‘Long Live Fashion!’, an interactive exhibition that aims to make our wardrobes more sustainable. The exhibition is being organised in collaboration with Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma, Harm Rensink (creative director of fashion platform New Order of Fashion) and textile recycling company Wolkat and will run from 25 September 2021 to 27 March 2022.

‘Long Live Fashion!’ will highlight the problems caused by fast fashion but ultimately aims to inspire visitors to contribute to a more sustainable textile value chain. Renowned Dutch designers such as Christien Meindertsma and emerging international fashion talent including Matthew Needham (GB) and Stina Randestad (SE) will provide insights into the challenges and opportunities of circular textiles. In addition, visitors will be able to try out different mending techniques and learn more about the principles of upcycling and personalised production methods.

Visitors become makers 

The heart of the exhibition is the innovative textile Microfactory, a small manufacturing hub run by fashion students from vocational college ROC Tilburg. It is here that visitors will be able to commission fashion items made from discarded textiles. After having their measurements taken using a body scan, visitors can select a design by Christien Meindertsma or one of the winners of the ‘Long Live Fashion!’ Design Contest recently organised by the museum. Tailor-made circular fashion items will be created on site in the Microfactory, allowing visitors to give new life to discarded textiles supplied by recycling company Wolkat. In the Fixing Fashion space, visitors can try mending and pimping clothes themselves, using techniques such as the popular Japanese sashiko stitch.

Designers showcase their vision of sustainable fashion

Exclusively for the exhibition, Christien Meindertsma has developed a large-scale installation that visualises the impact of our clothing consumption and the recycling flows of the Tilburg-based company Wolkat. As a celebration of sustainable fashion, the exhibition will provide a platform for established and emerging fashion talent who transform post-consumer and post-industrial textiles into couture or streetwear. The TextielMuseum has also commissioned new circular fashion pieces to be developed in the TextielLab. Matthew Needham (GB) and Stina Randestad (SE) were nominated for the assignment by New Order of Fashion, a platform that connects international design talent with the fashion industry. In the Future Room, innovative research projects will offer a glimpse into the future of textile recycling and sustainable textile production.

Unique collaboration between museum, makers, colleges and companies

Through its activities, the TextielMuseum aims to contribute to the growing awareness that creating a cleaner, just world is a collective responsibility. That’s why for ‘Long Live Fashion!’ the museum invites makers, companies, colleges and visitors to actively work together on this theme.

Special thanks

This project was funded by Midpoint Brabant Circulair and received structural support from Provincie Noord-Brabant, Gemeente Tilburg and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.