Hamburg Textile Week showcases international innovations in textile design

• The exhibition ‘Materials with a Future’ at the Design Zentrum Hamburg showcases 14 projects from Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden
• The focus is on new developments in materials, processes and technologies
• Events at universities and production sites offer insights into where and how textiles are designed and processed in Hamburg
• Exclusive media preview on 30 September ( 3.00 pm, by registration)

Hamburg, 3 September 2026: From 1 to 11 October 2026, Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, in collaboration with the Design Zentrum Hamburg and FABRIC – Future Fashion Lab, is organising the third edition of Hamburg Textile Week. Under the theme ‘Fabrics with a Future’, textile designers, materials researchers, universities and industry will join forces to highlight the visionary relevance of textile design.

Renewable energy, bio-based leather and textile art

At the heart of Hamburg Textile Week is the exhibition at the Design Zentrum Hamburg. There, 14 selected projects will demonstrate just how diverse the field of textile design is today: from bio-based materials and circular production processes to practical AI interfaces and artistic projects. The focus is on both experimental approaches and projects that have made the leap from the laboratory to the market.

The range of projects on display illustrates just how varied these approaches can be. The kites developed by SkySails Group GmbH generate electricity from high-altitude wind. The materials technology start-up revoltech has developed LOVR™, a fully circular, plant-based alternative to leather made from hemp residues. Nicole Schönherr’s ‘Talking Textiles’ project translates touch into sounds in real time. Franziska Koepsel transforms items such as old workwear and socks into large-scale textile artworks. And in the exoskeleton designed by the design studio Stühmer|Scholz – which supports people during physically demanding activities – textile components form the link between the body and the technology.

International contributions

Thanks to the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, two Dutch projects enrich the exhibition: the “heliotex” curtain by Pauline van Dongen, woven with thin solar cells, and the “Local Colour” project on bio-based dyeing techniques by the Waag Futurelab. At HAW Hamburg, in cooperation with the Borås University of Textiles – facilitated by the Swedish Embassy in Berlin – the exhibition “Fashion. Forever.” on the theme of the circular economy is being shown. It will be opened on 7 October by, amongst others, the Swedish Cultural Attaché Anneli Strömqvist.

Developments relating to circularity, material use and product design are also continuing to gain significance from a regulatory perspective: The revised EU Waste Framework Directive of 2025 established, amongst other things, common requirements for extended producer responsibility for textiles and footwear, which must now be transposed into national law by the Member States.

Hamburg Textile Week is expanding across the city

In 2026, Hamburg Textile Week will be spread more widely across the city than before. Alongside the exhibition at the Design Zentrum Hamburg, the FABRIC – Future Fashion Lab will become a central venue: This is where the programme of talks and workshops will take place, aimed particularly at a specialist audience and promoting the exchange of knowledge between regional, national and international experts. At the same time, FABRIC will place greater emphasis on issues surrounding future fashion and the future of fashion production and design. At the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft’s new Future Fashion venue, VILLA E362 in Hamburg-Nienstedten, the APN Gallery will open its exhibition ‘Invisible Roles’, which focuses on the perspectives of marginalised people.

Hamburg’s universities and production sites are also taking part in the programme; amongst others, HAW Hamburg, the AMD Academy of Fashion & Design, Made in Veddel and the APN Gallery will be opening their doors. Hamburg Textile Week thus serves both as an industry gathering and as an invitation to those interested in design to discover different perspectives on textile innovations.

The “Fabrics with a Future” exhibition and the talks are free to attend. Participation fees of around 20 to 30 euros apply for individual workshops.

You can find all the information about Hamburg Textile Week as well as images on the Design Zentrum’s website.