Pilot 2 
Icelandic Textile Center (Iceland)


     TEXTILES 

  BLÖNDUÓS, ICELAND


About Icelandic Textile Center 

The Icelandic Textile Centre aims to support research, innovation and education in textiles.  The region of northwest Iceland lacks diverse employment opportunities beyond sheep  farming, fishing and tourism, and is characterised by youth flight and depopulation. To  counteract this, the Association of Municipalities is seeking new ways for regional  development and for attracting new and innovative businesses, including the many  opportunities in textiles. In this context, municipalities and stakeholders are keen to further  develop the Textile Centre as a makerspace and educational platform. Artists at the Centre  have access to a dye studio and loom room and in May 2021, the Centre opened the first  TextileLab in Iceland, featuring state-of-the art digital equipment for textile work, including a  felt and digital loom. Its makerspace is not a place for full-blown production, but for sampling,  experimenting and learning, particularly with sustainable and local materials, such as wool,  hemp and fish leather.


Learn more

Activities

  • Develop courses and study programs within textiles in collaboration with partners in and outside of Iceland.

  • Start vocational training, experimenting with different target groups and formats of collaboration (Fabricademy).

  • Form a textile cluster strong enough to support the Icelandic textile community.

  • Research how traditional embroidery and knitting can be further developed with digital technology.

Results

  • New formats for transmitting and certifying textile knowledge and skills in Iceland.

  • Preparations for a university degree in textiles.

  • Textile cluster, including sheep farmers, craftspeople, small businesses and educational  institutions to strengthen and support the community.

  • Establishing the Textile Center and TextileLab as a destination for place-based learning  and skill-sharing in Iceland.

  • Knowledge on variations in traditional embroidery and knitting using digital technologies.

Impact


  • Build a bridge from traditional handcrafts to digital textiles.

  • Create an environment where makers, artists, scholars can experiment, create, research and innovate. 

  • Contribute to the development of small-scale manufacturing in Iceland

  • Create new pathways for teaching and learning about textiles