5 Highlights from New York Textile Month
Textiles have become a frontier for experimentation and a way of keeping humanity grounded in our digital age.
As part of the month’s festivities, KnollTextiles will hold a reception to support the nonprofit Love Quilt Project in assisting children in the United States and South Africa who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. Courtesy the organizers
Every September, fabric enthusiasts come together for New York Textile Month—and the rest of us benefit from the wonderful displays of creativity and innovation.
As many of the artists featured in our September 2019 issue point out, textiles are involved at every stage of our lives—we wear clothes, sit on upholstered furniture, sleep on linens—so even those who may not understand the jargon of warp, weft, and weave structure should find ample exhibits and events to engage them throughout the month, now in its fourth edition. Textiles have become a frontier for experimentation and, as leading trend forecaster and the event’s initiator Lidewij Edelkoort likes to point out, a way of keeping humanity grounded in our digital age.
If you’re not in New York, the online exhibit Talent! and the excellent magalog Talking Textiles will provide plenty of inspiration. But for those who do happen to be in town, here are five highlights of the month’s events.
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Talking Textiles Conference 2019
This annual conference brings an inspiring and thought-provoking group of international designers, artists, forecasters, historians, and other experts together for a day of immersion in the world of textiles. This year’s impressive line-up includes artist Liz Collins (featured on Metropolis’s September 2019 cover) and color and craft expert Keith Recker.
Parsons The New School, 66 West 12th Street, Sept. 20, 9:30am-5pm Courtesy the organizers
Talking Textiles Conference 2019
This annual conference brings an inspiring and thought-provoking group of international designers, artists, forecasters, historians, and other experts together for a day of immersion in the world of textiles. This year’s impressive line-up includes artist Liz Collins (featured on Metropolis’s September 2019 cover) and color and craft expert Keith Recker.
Parsons The New School, 66 West 12th Street, Sept. 20, 9:30am-5pm Courtesy the organizers
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Textiles Revealed
This noted showcase of Belgian textile designers, cocurated by Lidewij Edelkoort and Philip Fimmano, travels stateside for the first time for NYTM. Breaking away from stereotypes of Belgian linen, the eight art and design practices included in the show display a huge breadth of techniques—from tufting to felting—and approaches, like using digital jacquards.
Unix Gallery, 513 West 26th Street, Sept. 26–Oct. 3, 10am-6pm Courtesy the organizers
Textiles Revealed
This noted showcase of Belgian textile designers, cocurated by Lidewij Edelkoort and Philip Fimmano, travels stateside for the first time for NYTM. Breaking away from stereotypes of Belgian linen, the eight art and design practices included in the show display a huge breadth of techniques—from tufting to felting—and approaches, like using digital jacquards.
Unix Gallery, 513 West 26th Street, Sept. 26–Oct. 3, 10am-6pm Courtesy the organizers
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Stitches of Love
Because textiles are a necessity in every human being’s life, they can be powerful vehicles for philanthropy. KnollTextiles in partnership with Milliken will be hosting a special fundraiser for the Love Quilt Project, a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to U.S. and South African children who have been affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Edelkoort will give the keynote remarks at the event, while actor and singer Patrick Wilson will be a special guest.
Knoll Inc., 1330 Avenue of the Americas, Sept. 26, 6pm-8pm. RSVP: stitchesoflove.org Courtesy the organizers
Stitches of Love
Because textiles are a necessity in every human being’s life, they can be powerful vehicles for philanthropy. KnollTextiles in partnership with Milliken will be hosting a special fundraiser for the Love Quilt Project, a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to U.S. and South African children who have been affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Edelkoort will give the keynote remarks at the event, while actor and singer Patrick Wilson will be a special guest.
Knoll Inc., 1330 Avenue of the Americas, Sept. 26, 6pm-8pm. RSVP: stitchesoflove.org Courtesy the organizers
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The World of Anna SuiÂ
This showcase of a 100 looks by the perennially inventive American designer Anna Sui lays out her far-ranging explorations into materials and techniques, as well as storytelling. Sui’s work is driven by narrative, and she is unparalleled in translating pop culture into fashion, drawing on music, books, movies, and art in her work.
The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), 2 Columbus Circle, Sept. 12–Feb. 23, 2020 Courtesy the organizers
The World of Anna SuiÂ
This showcase of a 100 looks by the perennially inventive American designer Anna Sui lays out her far-ranging explorations into materials and techniques, as well as storytelling. Sui’s work is driven by narrative, and she is unparalleled in translating pop culture into fashion, drawing on music, books, movies, and art in her work.
The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), 2 Columbus Circle, Sept. 12–Feb. 23, 2020 Courtesy the organizers
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Loop of the Loom
If you’d like to try a hand at weaving, Loop of the Loom is offering free short trial sessions at its new Dumbo studio. You can just walk in—no appointment needed—throughout the month of September, sit at a loom, and get that shuttle going.
Loop of the Loom Dumbo, 197 Plymouth Street, all month, 11am-6pm Courtesy the organizers
Loop of the Loom
If you’d like to try a hand at weaving, Loop of the Loom is offering free short trial sessions at its new Dumbo studio. You can just walk in—no appointment needed—throughout the month of September, sit at a loom, and get that shuttle going.
Loop of the Loom Dumbo, 197 Plymouth Street, all month, 11am-6pm Courtesy the organizers
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You may also enjoy “In London, a Researcher Guides Biodesign into Uncharted—and Newly Relevant—Territory.”
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