In October, I invited some fellow business owners who make products using shuttle looms to visit the Netherlands.
The purpose of the trip was to visit the Textile Museum in Tilburg in the southern part of the Netherlands and to inspect the "Textile Lab" located within the museum.

The participants were Takeyari from Kurashiki Canvas, Yamazaki from Aizu Cotton, Narita from the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, textile designer Kusunoki, Haga from Toyohashi, and myself.



Tilburg, where the museum is located, is the sixth largest city in the Netherlands and is a little over an hour's drive from the capital, Amsterdam.
A city that prospered as a woolen textile production center, its heyday was in the 1950s and 1960s.
There were 13 woolen and cotton textile factories, but as time passed, the work shifted to China and the industry rapidly declined. All the factories closed down, so it is clear that the situation was similar to that in Japan.

The textile museum was established in the former site of the abandoned factory, and I was deeply inspired when I visited the "Textile Lab" inside.

As the name suggests, this is a research facility where fabrics can be developed in small batches. Using textile machines collected from the surrounding area, you can create the fabric you want under the guidance of experts.

The museum displays rare traditional looms that were once in use, allowing visitors to learn about the evolution of weaving technology, but many of the machines in the lab are relatively new and connected to computers.



But there's more to this place than just machines. Designers, artists, students, and other "new face" from different industries and fields outside the textile industry are all working on experiments to develop and commercialize fabrics.

In addition to fabric-making professionals such as artisans and designers, the lab also has interns who are university students majoring in textiles, so the workforce is diverse in age.

Anyone, even those without expertise, can freely develop and commercialize new textiles, but they must first undergo an examination by the lab. They must submit a report outlining their ideas and objectives, including what they want to create.
The lab is open to anyone with a clear sense of purpose and enthusiasm to develop new products.

Regarding the fabrics they produce, they believe in "only prototyping, no need for mass production."
We can only prototype up to about 200 meters of fabric, and we have a policy of not taking on any more than that.
It is not a place for mass production, but rather a place for experiments.





Rather than mass production, we focus on creating unique products.
The lab is open to anyone who visits with a specific goal in mind, and by interacting with the "new people" in the lab, it acts as a testing ground where aspiring creators can grow.

Not only can you tour the facility, but by experiencing manufacturing here, you can meet new people and make connections that will lead to new manufacturing opportunities.

As we think about creating the shape and systems of Japan's future manufacturing, we have gained a lot of inspiration and hints from the efforts of the Textile Lab in the Netherlands.

(Anything Nishimura)
http://www.anything.ne.jp/maekake/textilelabo5.jpg