Photo by Thirza Schaap
A MANIFESTO
BY LIDEWIJ EDELKOORT
At a time when textile heritage is at a crossroads and centuries of tradition and knowledge are being compromised, the need arises to protect these endangered species in the same way we have come to defend our animal friends in the natural world; therefore we urgently need to discuss and talk about textiles again.
At this time of decline we simultaneously experience a return of the interest in textiles and their cultural expressions. Fashion design starts to focus on fabric, interior design brings back upholstery and art students reach out the loom. There is a renewed interest in material processes and an urgency to understand what fabric is made of. In the USA the production of textiles has long been lost but begins to make a timid come-back, crafting and producing all American products with local yarns and fibers; weaving the weft of tradition with the warp of innovation. Production is being brought to our doorsteps, as high-tech developments promise a dramatic new way of producing bio fiber and smart matter.
To investigate and celebrate the survival of the different textile components and expressions NYTM will draft a calendar that scripts all events, talks, walks, demonstrations and exhibitions concerning cloth, helping the general public to better comprehend and embrace the textiles of life.
-Lidewij Edelkoort, Initiator, Editor, Director
Meet the NYTM Board
Directors
Jacob Long - Director
Jacob Harrison Long leads American Woolen Company, Inc. He has a finance background with considerable experience in cross-border M&A, debt capital markets, and consumer goods/retail turnaround investing. Jacob spent 20 years in Europe working in investment banking for BNP Paribas and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein. While working in Milan from 2006 to 2012, Jacob developed extensive contacts in as well as a deep appreciation for the Italian textile and apparel industry with its focus on product quality and luxury versus the large-scale, commodity-oriented manufacturing that typifies the U.S. textile industry. He acquired the assets of the American Woolen Company and Warren Mills in order to replicate the European approach to textile manufacturing in the United States.
Lori Weizner - Director
Lori Weitzner, Principal and Creative Director of Lori Weitzner Design is internationally known for her contributions to the world of textiles, wallcoverings, rugs, passementerie, stone and tile, bedding, and other products for interiors. Her work is in the permanent collections of such museums as the Cooper- Hewitt in New York and the Victoria and Albert in London. She is the recipient of more than thirty prestigious design awards and her work is featured regularly in such media as Elle Décor, Architectural Digest, and The New York Times. She has authored her first book, Ode to Color: The Ten Essential Palettes for Living and Design, published by Harper Collins , and lectures around the world on the effects of color on how we feel and live. Weitzner recently launched her first collection of textile-infused jewelry and accessories under her own name.
Dorothy Waxman - Director
Dorothy Waxman, a fashion professional who was for decades a reporter for professional magazines such as View on Colour, Textile View, and Viewpoint. She was the co-founder of EDELKOORT INC. in the United States and is known for introducing the American fashion industry to European textile partners with her work at the Fashion Group. Dorothy resides in New York and is a judge on the Annual Dorothy Waxman International Textile Design Prize which is named after her.
Li Edelkoort, is a trend forecaster, publisher, humanitarian, design educator and exhibition curator. From 2015-2020 she was the Dean of Hybrid Design Studies at Parsons in New York where she founded a Textile Masters and the New York Textile Month festival. Her thought-provoking writings and podcasts have become increasingly popular at a time when she is regarded as an activist and champion for change. In 2020, she founded the World Hope Forum as a platform to inspire the creative community to rebuild a better society. She is also on the Creative Council for all of Gap Inc.’s fashion brands, advising the group on creative innovation and sustainable practice. In 2022, Edelkoort collaborated with Polimoda in Florence to establish an innovative new textile master called From Farm to Fabric to Fashion.
Philip Fimmano, is a trend analyst and consultant, contributing to Trend Union’s forecasting books, magazines, and strategic studies for international companies in fashion, textiles, interiors and lifestyle. In 2011, Fimmano co-founded Talking Textiles with Li Edelkoort; an ongoing initiative to promote awareness and innovation in textiles through touring exhibitions, a trend publication, a design prize and free educational programmes – including New York Textile Month, a citywide festival celebrating textile creativity each September. He is the co-author of the design book A Labour of Love (Lecturis, 2020) and the co-founder of the World Hope Forum, a new platform for creative community building. Fimmano is the mentor of Polimoda's fashion forecasting masters and textile masters in Florence, and he is on the Board of Directors for the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe. Fimmano is also on the Creative Council for all of Gap Inc.’s brands, advising the group on innovation and sustainable practice.
Preethi Gopinath, is an educator, textile designer, product development, and marketing professional with extensive international experience in the area of creative design for home and apparel textiles, CAD (including texture mapping), styling, production, sourcing, merchandising, entrepreneurship, and research with over 20 years of international experience in the textiles industry. She graduated from the National Institute of Design in India where she focused on weaving, printing, embroidery, and garment design. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in textile development, design, marketing, and technology at the Fashion Institute of Technology, as well as fashion design, business, and management at George Brown College in Toronto. Gopinath has written for TheSweet Home.com, and has worked on product and design for Carini Lang, NYC; Springs Global, Canada; and Hua Fang USA. Gopinath’s research explores traditional Gyaser weaving techniques, particularly handloom, silk brocade weaving in Benares, India.
Ragna Froda is an Icelandic, Artist, curator, and educator with a background in fashion/ textile design. A receiver of various grants for her work and projects, and her contribution to the Arts Her work focuses on the process of making, working with colors and textures, and the history and culture of symbols and patterns in textiles. With a strong passion for textiles, innovation, and craft, storytelling through hybrid layers of craft and technology is the foundation of Ragna´s practice. Early in her career, she ran her fashion and textile studio in Reykjavík Iceland. In the past 15 years, she has been living in New York, Berlin and Reykjavik. In Reykjavik, she was head of Textiles at Reykjavik School of Visual Arts and is currently living in New York where she runs her studio practice and works as the director of Edelkoort Inc and New York Textile Month.