Dezeen Magazine

New York Textile Month

New York Textile Month returns September 2017 with city-wide event programme

Dezeen promotion: New York Textile Month is back for a second edition, with talks, exhibitions and retail opportunities "celebrating the revival of textiles" available to the public throughout September 2017.

Following the first edition last September, which comprised 77 events across the city, New York Textile Month 2 is set to involve even more museums, galleries, showrooms, retailers and design studios.

New York Textile Month
Jenny Sabin's robotically woven canopy at MoMA PS1 will be on view during New York Textile Month. Photograph by Pablo Enriquez

Dezeen is media partner for the festival, organised by Li Edelkoort – a trend forecaster and dean of hybrid design at The New School: Parsons School of Design – who started the initiative to bring attention to fabric innovation.

"The wild and vibrant New York Textile Month 2 is an eventful agenda organised around the culture of cloth," she said. "The mood is up and creativity is on the loose, celebrating the revival of textiles."

New York Textile Month
Hop, Skip, Jump, and Fly: Escape From Gravity by Sheila Hicks is installed on the High Line. Photograph by Timothy Schenck

This year, some of the city's most popular museums – The Met, MoMA, Cooper Hewitt, New Museum and many more – will mount textile-related exhibitions to coincide with the festival.

Talks about smart garments, sustainable production and technical weaving will provide topics for discussion.

New York Textile Month
Studio Wieki Somers created the Shields pieces for Kinnasand and Kvadrat. Photograph by Matteo Girola

Designers and brands including Lori Weitzner, Print All Over Me and Knoll will host open studios, allowing the public behind-the-scenes glimpses of their work and production processes.

A pop-up at ABC Carpet & Home will give artisans from around the world the opportunity to present their products, while the Young Talent! exhibition will present the work of graduates from six schools in Europe and the US.

New York Textile Month
Textiles pieces at The Metropolitan Museum of Art include this Qing-dynasty robe for a Chinese princess

Capitalising on the city's reputation as a hub for textile innovation, Parsons is due to introduce a two-year MFA Textiles programme in 2018.

"New York is the breeding ground of global talent," Edelkoort said. "Its different art institutions and design universities are brimming with innovation and exceptional projects in expressive textile design, exploring ever-changing ways to bring fabrics to the fore, and collectively defending textiles as an intrinsic part of life and style."

New York Textile Month
The Young Talent! showcase will feature work by graduate designers like Stephanie Frig

For more information and a full list of planned events, visit the New York Textile Month website.