LongHouse Reserve will host a weekend celebration of textiles this September. The event will feature talks and presentations and will culminate in the awarding of the inaugural Larsen Textile Award to Lidewij Edelkoort, a renowned trend forecaster and design educator. The event is part of New York Textile Month, a festival founded by Edelkoort in 2016 to highlight the significance of textiles in design and culture.
Edelkoort is a prominent figure in the world of fashion and design and is recognized for her forward-thinking approach. From 2015 to 2020, she served as Dean of Hybrid Design Studies at Parsons School of Design in New York, where she established a Textile Masters program. In 2020, she founded the World Hope Forum, a platform aimed at inspiring the creative community to work toward building a more equitable society. Her influence also extends to corporate sustainability, as she currently serves on the Creative Council for Gap Inc., advising on creative innovation and sustainable practices.
The Larsen Textile Award, named in honor of the pioneering textile designer Jack Lenor Larsen, is designed to recognize individuals who push the boundaries of textile design and innovation. Edelkoort’s contributions to sustainable design and her visionary leadership in textiles make her an ideal recipient of this inaugural award.
The weekend celebration will begin on Saturday, September 21, from 2 to 5 PM with two presentations by Edelkoort. The first presentation, Re-Rug: 2025 Rugs & Interiors, will explore the resurgence of rugs as an artistic and cultural medium. Edelkoort will present her research on the “RE-RUG” movement, showcasing bold, expressive designs that transform interior spaces, no matter the size. The presentation will highlight how rugs reflect contemporary culture and carry messages of unity and empathy during uncertain times.
Following this, Edelkoort will discuss her latest publication, PROUD SOUTH, which celebrates the creativity emerging from the Global South. Through fashion, art, and photography, Edelkoort will highlight talents from regions including Latin America, Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, showing how the Global South is redefining global creativity with themes of decolonization, inclusivity, and sustainability.
The weekend will conclude on Sunday, September 22, with the presentation of the Larsen Textile Award at 3 PM, followed by Edelkoort’s talk titled “Talking Textiles: Creativity & Awareness.” In this talk, she will reflect on her work in the textile industry and her vision for the future.
Edelkoort’s extensive career includes collaborations with Polimoda in Florence, where she helped establish the “Farm to Fabric to Fashion” Textile Masters program, as well as her ongoing work with global brands to drive creative innovation and sustainable practices.
This weekend of events at LongHouse Reserve promises to offer a unique perspective on the future of textiles, celebrating both the craft and its potential to inspire positive change. For more information and to reserve tickets, visit LongHouse Reserve.
