The second hybrid digital weaving workshop was preparedby the TextileLab team.

In collaboration with LHÍ fashion design students, the Textile Centre hosted an open, informal sewing and upcycling workshop at the Blönduós Community Center. Participants altered, improved, or created new garments from old ones. The event was highly valued by the local community as the occasion to strengthen connections between them.

Fashion design students from the Iceland University of the Arts (LHÍ) visited the Textile Centre to explore traditional techniques, digital equipment and machinery. Activities included weaving, felting, embroidery, and visits to local textile sites. The visit enriched student learning and informed the development of new Textile Centre programmes.

The first hybrid digital weaving workshop, led by the TextileLab team, combined an online introduction to the TC2 loom with an in-person, on-site weekend session.

Workshops for 13–16-year-olds were held in the TextileLab, focusing on creative reuse of textile waste. Students created fabric patches from recycled materials and wool, embroidered their own designs, toured the lab, and were introduced to the machines and its creative possibilities available.

The TextileLab welcomed 189 members of the Icelandic Handknit Association. Participants explored the lab’s facilities and learned about new opportunities in textiles, including modern techniques, sustainable materials, and creative technological applications in fibre arts.

The Annual Meeting of Icelandic Knowledge Centres took place with the Minister of Culture, Innovation, and Higher Education in attendance. The Association of Knowledge Centres supports research and higher education across Iceland and collaborates closely with the Ministry. The meeting strengthened collaboration among centres and provided an opportunity to advocate for shared priorities, including textile heritage and innovation.

The report “The Icelandic Textile Cluster – Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Strengthen Textile Production in Iceland” was published. It examines the current state of the textile industry and includes in-depth interviews with 18 potential cluster members, an economic impact analysis, and a diamond analysis based on Michael Porter’s cluster theory.

Introducing new materials and approaches helps raise awareness and renew interest in textile crafts, therefore the workshop that allowed participants to explore seaweed as both material and dye with hands-on sessions in the TextileLab was organised. The programme also included a field excursionand was followed by a discussion on the role of seaweed in art, science, and sustainability.

The Textile Centre’s Annual Meeting was held in Blönduós, with part of the programme dedicated to the workshop “Spjörum okkur”, focused on developing creative solutions to the growing challenge of textile waste. Participants explored four key areas: education, recycling, waste collection, and business models. The insights generated were compiled by the Association of Municipalities in Northwest Iceland (SSNV) and published as a report. Participants highlighted the relevance of traditional craft knowledge in addressing textile waste.