Book
Practising Solidarity | Critical Fashion and Agency that Matters
Practising Solidarity explores how to make and wear clothes in a solidarity-based way.
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WELCOME TO NEW TEXECO
Homeland of
research on sustainable fashion and textiles
News
Overview
7 April 2025
Lianne van Roekel new programme manager NewTexEco
Since 1 April 2025, Lianne van Roekel has started as programme manager of the New Textile Ecosystems (NewTexEco) project. In the coming months, she will gradually take over the tasks of Lucie Huiskens, who is currently still acting as interim programme manager. Liaison between research and practiceLianne grew up in Nijmegen/Wijchen and has lived in […]
31 March 2025
Retrospective: LabTour Saxion Circular Textile Lab
During Circular Economy Week, Saxion Circular Textile Lab organised an exclusive tour. Led by Associate Lecturer Carlos Kuhlmann, participants discovered how old fabrics are transformed into new materials and how knitting silver yarn can lead to textile sensors for medical applications. Sustainable textile production The Sustainable & Functional Textiles professorship presented innovative chemical-mechanical processes and […]
28 March 2025
Kick-off project Designing Ecosystems for Care & Repair
Tuesday 27 March saw the official kick-off of Designing Ecosystems for Care & Repair (hereafter Care & Repair). This programme, stemming from our research community NewTexEco, was recently selected from 51 submissions by CLICKNL. As many as 25 companies and institutions have shown interest in Care & Repair. The project investigates what systemic solutions are […]
20 March 2025
Daniëlle Bruggeman inaugurates as associate professor of Fashion and Sustainability at Radboud University
Daniëlle Bruggeman today delivers her inaugural address as extraordinary professor of Fashion and Sustainability at Radboud University in Nijmegen. Bruggeman has been a lecturer in Fashion at ArtEZ since 2017 and also teaches in the master’s programme Critical Fashion Practices. She is also a member of the NewTexEco programme team. In April 2024, she was […]
14 March 2025
Transition in the fashion industry: what went wrong?
Twan Eikelenboom zooms in on the transition in the fashion industry in the recently published Design Innovation Update #2. Where did things go wrong? Which designers and researchers are at the forefront working on solutions? And what is needed for a system-level transition? These updates are based on the insights from the Design Innovation Sessions […]
5 February 2025
Collaboration in textile technology thanks to 3D Robot Knitting Winter School
The second edition of the NewTexEco 3D Robot Knitting Winter School 2025 brought together textile professionals and students to explore the limits of advanced knitting technology. Participants had the unique opportunity to work with the advanced Shima Seiki WholeGarment 3D knitting machine. Special about this winter school is the diverse background of the participants, which […]
3 February 2025
‘Care Repair’ selected within programme Design Power & Transitions
CLICKNL’s new Design Power & Transitions programme is committed to developing knowledge and methods that enable us to better design for transitions. Because whether it is about designing for a climate-proof, healthy or safe Netherlands: designing for transitions requires strengthening design power. The new knowledge and methods that design practice needs and insights into how […]
30 January 2025
Successful Textile Surgery at Arnhem Uitnacht
NewTexEco’s Tjeerd Veenhoven, in collaboration with consortium partner Mode Partners 025, held another Textile Surgery during Arnhem’s Uitnacht at the Rembrandt Theatre. For the occasion, we invited 3 experts, Kim Leemans, Merel Wicker from Leemans & Wicker and Celia Geraerdts from Blueprint Amsterdam, to analyse visitors’ garments for textile type, origin, user history and sustainability. […]
15 December 2024
NewTexEco is taking shape as research community
Since April 2024, NewTexEco’s Danielle Bruggeman is professor of Fashion and Sustainability by special appointment at the Faculty of Arts at Radboud University in Nijmegen. In this role, she developed and now teaches the course ‘Sustainability in the Fashion Industries’ at Radboud University. For this course, MA students are currently doing research for several NewTexEco partners. A fine […]
5 December 2024
NewTexEco Introduces a User-Friendly Wardrobe Study Tool
Understanding consumer behavior is key to creating a more sustainable fashion industry. Since Maldini’s groundbreaking wardrobe research (2019), studies have focused on how people buy, care for, and dispose of their clothing. These insights help inform textile manufacturers, brands, policy-makers, and consumers, providing estimates of their environmental impact in terms of water, energy, and carbon […]
4 December 2024
Measures for a future-proof textile sector
The Circular Textiles Policy Programme was published this week. Part of the National Circular Economy Programme (NPCE) in which textiles is one of the product groups for which intensive policies, concrete targets and a behavioural strategy have been drawn up. The ‘Policy Programme Circular Textiles 2025-2030’ is an important next step towards the goal: a […]
4 December 2024
New subsidy helps entrepreneurs reuse and repair
The Ministry of IenW announced last week that the ‘Circulair implementeren en opschalen‘ subsidy scheme will start in January 2025! This was partly achieved because of all the positive responses the ministry received during the consultation phase. RVO Netherlands will implement the subsidy scheme. More information on their website.
4 December 2024
3D NXT LEVEL 3.0 at AMFI: Driving Digital Fashion Innovation
On November 21-22, over 150 fashion professionals and students gathered at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) for the 3D NXT LEVEL 3.0 event. Co-organized by the International Apparel Federation (IAF) and sponsored by Alvanon and Albstadt-Sigmaringen University, the two-day conference spotlighted the latest developments in digital product creation (DPC) and the integration of 3D technology across the […]
4 December 2024
Hackathon: Paving the Way for Circular Textiles
The ReThink Textile Hackathon (november 2024) challenged students to create innovative business models for producing sustainable, biobased textiles in the Netherlands. With the textile industry among the largest polluters globally, the focus was on replacing plastic fibers with renewable materials like flax, hemp, and wool, while localizing the value chain. Over two weeks, interdisciplinary teams of students, guided […]
4 December 2024
Mini-symposium Prototyping Futures
A special symposium took place on Thursday 28 November, organised to mark the departure of Jeroen van den Eijnde as professor Tactical Design at ArtEZ . The event reflected on the impact and results of the professorship over the past eight years, providing inspiration for further developments within NewTexEco. In his introduction, Jeroen van den […]
17 October 2024
Funding opportunity creative companies – offered by ClickNL
As a partner of NewTexEco, we would like to draw your attention to the research subsidy that ClickNL offers in the Ontwerpkracht & Transities programme. The subsidy (max. 650,000 per project) is intended for a consortium of (at least 3) creative companies, organizations and knowledge institutions that conduct design research aimed at stimulating transition. The […]
30 September 2024
Clients sought for QUEST project
Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Design & Engineering, is looking for clients for an interdisciplinary project (QUEST) on the theme of ‘circular and industrial production’. Within Quest, third-year students Built Environment, Technical Business Administration, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering work for six months on real tasks for companies, together with research and education. […]
26 September 2024
NewTexEco presents plans at Circular Textile Days
What great conversations we had during Circular Textile Days! We presented our plans for the coming years, within the 7 themes our consortium has put forward. In the near future we will share more about the topics in our research agenda, including a timeline. We gathered feedback from designers and manufacturers during Circular Textile Days […]
2 September 2024
NewTexEco’s 3D knit summer school
The week of 8 July 2024 marked the first edition of NewTexEco’s 3D knit summer school. In the 3D knit robot lab at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam, 6 lecturers and researchers were taught 3D knitting techniques for one week. Led by Leslie Eisinger, who works in the Fashion Research & Technology Department, the principles of […]
10 July 2024
NewTexEco maps the Dutch ecosystem
In collaboration with Modint, we obtained a dataset of all Dutch companies in the textile sector registered with KvK (Chamber of Commerce, containing over 12,000), their age (year of registration), number of employees, office space (km2), and company websites. The HvA hired a research assistant to examine this dataset and obtain more details about the […]
Events
Overview
past
Amsterdam
Mon 07 Jul 2025 – Fri 11 Jul 2025
NewTexEco’s 3D knit Summer School
Put it in your diary already: the second edition of NewTexEco’s 3D Knit Summer School. The first edition of NewTexEco’s 3D Knit Summer School took place in July 2024, and was a great success! Under the guidance of Leslie Eisinger (Fashion Research & Technology Professorship), six teachers and researchers immersed themselves in the world of […]
past
Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Wibautstraat 2-4,
Thu 19 Jun 2025
Story Lab: New Fashion Narrative
The problem of fashion is embedded in the word itself To be – and stay – ‘in fashion’ fuels endless cycles of production and consumption. This undermines the viability of our planet and leads to human exploitation. The question is therefore: how can we shape a new cultural narrative about the value of clothes and […]
past
AMFI
Thu 22 May 2025
Evening at the Amstel: ‘Chain cooperation in fashion: myth or reality?’
When sustainability and social working conditions are taken into account, and in any case when the new EU directives will become a reality, the textile and fashion sector will also have to believe in long-term, strong partnerships between producers, retailers and suppliers. Whereas in other sectors this is taken for granted, in fashion it has […]
past
Arnhem
Tue 25 Mar 2025
Network event Care & Repair
The amount of clothing produced worldwide has doubled in the last 20 years, while we wear our clothes for shorter and shorter periods of time. Extending the lifespan of clothes is one of the most effective ways to reduce environmental impact. But how can we encourage this? Currently, the focus is mainly on technical longevity, […]
past
Radboud University Nijmegen
Thu 20 Mar 2025
Inaugural lecture: Stitches of Care: Practising Solidarity through Fashion
Thursday 20 March 2025 Danielle Bruggeman delivers her inaugural lecture Stitches of Care: Practising Solidarity through Fashion at Radboud University in Nijmegen. This lecture follows her appointment as professor of Fashion and Sustainability at Radboud, in April 2024. This appointment allows ArtEZ University of the Arts and Radboud University to approach the topic of sustainability […]
past
Enschede
Wed 19 Mar 2025
A look behind the scenes at Saxion Circular Textile Lab
Wondering how we can reshape the future of textiles? The partners and research group of the Saxion Circular Textile Lab are working on innovative solutions to give textile waste a second life and make the textile industry circular. During this tour, Carlos Kuhlmann will give you an inside look at the different labs. He will […]
past
Amsterdam
Mon 27 Jan 2025 – Fri 31 Jan 2025
NewTexEco Knit Winter School 2025
We cordially invite you to participate in the 3D Robot Knit Winter School, which will take place from 27 January to 31 January 2025. The course will be held at the Benno Premsela House of the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA), at Rhijnspoorplein 1, Amsterdam.
past
AMFI
Tue 10 Dec 2024
Brainstorm session NewTexEco
We would like to invite you to an inspiring brainstorming session within the project NewTexEco in which together we will explore new ideas and solutions to develop an online learning environment for MBO and HBO textile and fashion courses in the Netherlands. We are also looking into whether a digital sample library in textile materials could be interesting for the textile and fashion industry in the Netherlands.
past
TextielLab|Textile Museum
Mon 02 Dec 2024
Symposium Threads of Innovation
The TextielLab at Textielmuseum in Tilburg is hosting a symposium Threads of Innovation looking back at four years of research and development (R&D). On Monday 2 December, to celebrate the transformative power of textile innovation, where craftsmanship and technology come together in unique ways. Be inspired by high-profile projects, listen to leading experts and discover […]
past
Wageningen
Tue 12 Nov 2024 – Tue 19 Nov 2024
ReThink Textile Hackathon
The textile industry needs a sustainable makeover! Are you a student and like to take on the challenge to help replace plastic fibers with biobased materials? Join the WUR student challenge for a two-week Hackathon and collaborate with experts to create a business plan, market strategy, and maybe even design the next big thing in […]
Projects
Overview
Education
AEQUALIS4TCLF
Research project AEQUALIS4TCLF focuses on the (approaching) shortage of practical skills needed for a future-proof, more digital European clothing and textile sector. Together with partners from as many as seven European countries – Czechia, Croatia, Lithuania, Finland, Slovenia, Serbia and the Netherlands, the professorships of Jose Teunissen and Troy Nachtigall are helping to develop new […]
Research
Going Circular Going Cellulose
Going Circular Going Cellulose (GC)2 is a study by ArtEZ and Saxion into the possibilities of connecting the technical production of yarns and textiles from sustainable cellulose fibres to the wishes and requirements of textile designers. Sustainability and circular economy are key issues in the textile supply chain. Many companies want to make more sustainable […]
From seagrass to sustainable textile application
In this project, European and especially Dutch seagrasses were investigated for the right properties to grow, harvest and process them – whether or not combined with other sustainable materials – into raw materials for textile applications in an ecologically and economically sustainable way. It also looked at whether historical knowledge of processing and applications of […]
Education
Keeping it Local
Keeping it Local is a research project of the Fashion Research & Technology Lectorate at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam. This ‘living laboratory’ investigates co-creation, local production in an urban environment and sustainable consumer behaviour. We produce 3D-knitted jumpers inspired by traditional fishermen’s jumpers. Like their traditional predecessors, these jumpers tell the story of local communities: […]
Research
Designing Shape Changing Textiles
This project investigated how shape-changing textiles (fabrics that can actively change shape in interaction with the wearer or the environment) can be designed based on ecological principles to promote sustainable behaviour and well-being. Together with researchers Pauline van Dongen and Anna Wetzel, consortium partners AMOLF, the Ecomimicry Institute, Next Nature Network and UNStudio approached shape-changing […]
Research
Bamboo Europe
Is it possible to set up a sustainable, transparent and local value chain for processing bamboo for interior design, construction and textiles? The Tactical Design lectureship investigates the potential of European-produced bamboo – from raw material to finished product. Bamboo is a promising renewable raw material that grows rapidly, has high CO2 uptake and excellent […]
Research
Transitions
In Transitions, universities, colleges, platforms and institutes work together to support the transition to a more sustainable, circular textile and fashion industry. The project does this by developing new learning methods and tools to support students, young designers and professionals with the real, everyday challenges that the green transition necessitates. Approach A circular economy aims […]
Publications
Overview
E-pub
Bamboo Europe
Download
Guide
The Dutch circulair textile industry
This guide provides an overview of 115 Dutch textile organisations across the entire value chain and gives insight into the Netherlands’ circular textile ecosystem, with inspiring projects and collaborations. As a result, it provides a blueprint for future circular collaborations, both nationally and internationally.
Browse this guide
E-pub
New Applications for Seagrass
Final report of the Smart Solutions Project: New uses for seagrass.
Download
Report
Ecological Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Bamboo Cultivation in the Netherlands
Download
Article
KEEPING IT LOCAL: 3D-knitted fisherman’s jumpers for contemporary communities
Article on the project Keeping it Local, published in Jaarboek Kostuum 2023, a publication of the Dutch Costume Society.
Jaarboek Kostuum
Book
Exploring seagrass for sustainable design
Boek
Article
Clothes moths, solution to textile waste problem?
Article based on NWO/SIA Germ project ‘Natural Clearing Agents: using moths in a circular textile value chain’ (Oct 2021-Oct 2022). Article available only in Dutch.
Download
Report
Seagrass: Possible career or washed up?
Download
E-pub
Going Circular, going Cellulose
Download
Report
Circular Intimacies
This report, based on the research in ‘Going Eco Going Cellulose’ (Saxion/ArtEZ 2017-2019) describes a design-driven, multi-stakeholder and interdisciplinary design approach and forms of co-creation, and offers insights into (newly developed) circular design principles.
Download
Report
Recommendations for a Circular Design Practice
This is a further development of ‘Closing the Loop Design Guideline for Recycling’, based on the research ‘Going Circular Going Cellulose’ (Saxion/ArtEZ, 2018-2020). This guideline provides practical tools for fashion and textile designers to achieve circular designs.
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Report
Creating a Circular Chain for European Moso Bamboo
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Conference Paper
Going Eco Going Dutch
This article presents the results of the research project ‘Going Eco, Going Dutch’ (2015-2017), which investigated the production, design and branding of fashion textiles made from locally produced hemp fibres in the Netherlands.
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Article
In textiles, sustainability is not an option, but a necessity!
Article available only in Dutch.
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Report
Closing the Loop Design Guideline for Recycling
A pilot guide for fashion designers developed in the Closing the Loop project (ArtEZ/Saxion, 2015-2017) describing a set of design and production guidelines that contribute to closing the textile value chain and have a positive impact on consumers and the environment, with minimal environmental impact.
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Report
Textile Recycling. An overview; a basis for a circular economy in the textile and clothing industry
Report on the negative environmental impact of textiles and how to reduce it, especially industrial and post-consumer textile recycling. Report available in Dutch only.
Download