Once known as the ‘Saxon Manchester’, Chemnitz today inspires with sustainable textile production, dig- ital textile design and artistic diversity. The two-day trip impressively combined the past, present and future of local textile production.

Exclusive guided tours focussing on textile history and textile technologies

To kick things off, a city centre tour including a playful exploration of the European Capital of Culture 2025 broke the ice. Special stops on the tour included the Esche LAB in Limbach-Oberfrohna on 26 May 2025 - a workshop for creative textile work with a focus on knitting, embroidery and ready-to-wear clothing - and the Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. (STFI) on 27 May 2025, which offers exten- sive opportunities for artistic textile projects and research collaborations.

The programme at the Esche Museum included a demonstration of historical knitting machines, a tour of the Fabric Visions special exhibition and a workshop in the ESCHE Lab. The ESCHE Lab was opened at the beginning of the year and has since been available as a makerspace for creative projects. At the STFI, visitors were given an insight into the technological possibilities of the Textile Lab Professional. In addition to surface technologies such as knitting, weaving, warp knitting, functionalisation and textile recycling, the tour led to the textile factory of the future, where research is being conducted into digitali- sation in textile production. The Textile Lab Professional is a cooperation between the STFI and the ESCHE Lab and is open to creative minds with its expertise and diverse plant technology. The trip con- cluded with a workshop in the art collections, which focussed on the Schneeberger Geflecht exhibition.

European network

The workshops and live demonstrations provided insights into innovative techniques and offered starting points for artistic approaches. Through expert discussions and an open networking evening, the Tour de LOOP created an exchange with creatives, designers and scientists from Chemnitz and Europe.

Tour de LOOP is an offer from the Makers, Business & Arts project of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025, the Esche Museum and the Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. (STFI).