2018-2020 // Createx

The project idea was born for a series of initiatives to enhance the textile archives, carried out in recent years by the Prato Textile Museum Foundation with the support of various European programs. The purpose has been developed by the “Associazione Città Tessili Europee” Acte (www.acte.net), of which the Municipality of Prato has been a member for many years. All the project partners, in fact, come from cities with textile vocation belonging to the association (Gironella in Spain, Boras in Sweden, Lodz in Poland and Santo Tirso in Portugal, as well as Prato in Italy), who have decided to commit the development of their collaboration also in the cultural field.

The project involves the development of two types of related activities:

1) Digitization of the textile heritage kept in the partner territories, which share a well-established pre-industrial and industrial textile tradition, as well as being equipped with museum structures dedicated to the conservation and enhancement of the heritage, expression of local products. 

In this activity, the important experience about digitization of the company textile archives acquired by the Textile Museum will be used and disseminated in the context of the ongoing European project, Creativewear (MED Program – with the leader of the Municipality of Prato and the Textile Museum partner), has developed the Heritage Manager cataloging software.

2) Experimentation of the use of textile heritage as a source of inspiration for applied creativity and creative residences.

In this activity will be organized for young people of the territories involved different opportunities to learn about the textile heritage and reinterpret it in a creative way as a source of inspiration for new designs and products (fabrics, clothing, accessories, works of art, etc.).

In addition to workshops open to the public and other initiatives, there will be a series of 15 creative residences that will allow as many young designers and artists to visit one or more partner territories and experiment with their ability to reinterpret the textile heritage. The works realized by the youngsters will be the object of final exhibition and publication at the important textile center of Lodz in Poland.