On 24 June 2025, Het Parool published an article about Waag Futurelab's research into local and sustainable textile production, entitled “Kleding van eigen, stadse bodem" ('Clothing from our own urban soil'). The article describes how a jacket for the mayor of Amsterdam is made entirely from raw materials sourced in the city, from fibre to dye.
The article provides a nice insight into the work being done at Waag's TextileLab, which conducts research into the conditions for a productive city for textiles. The TextileLab focuses explicitly on our relationship with living matter and colour, and places craftsmanship and the preservation of craftsmanship at the centre.
Among other things, the article highlights the use of locally produced dyes, which are being developed within the Local Colour research project. This initiative focuses on rediscovering and developing natural dyes from plants, bacteria and other organisms that grow in and around Amsterdam. The plants for these colours are grown in city gardens, on balconies and in communal green areas, closely intertwining the project with the urban environment. In this way, Local Colour shows how colour can become part of a regenerative and place-based textile system.
This research is being continued in the collaborative project Van Tegel tot (verf)Tuin ('From Tile to (dye) Garden'), which will soon set up a local mini-chain that contributes to a cooler climate in the city, a sense of community among residents and usable raw materials for local makers.
More space for makers
The Parool article also underscores the significance of makers in the urban context—a group that Waag Futurelab is strongly committed to supporting and facilitating. One example of this is the Maakschap Amsterdam project, together with Pakhuis de Zwijger and Hout- en Meubileringscollege. We are also committed to preserving traditional craftsmanship as an indispensable part of our heritage and are investigating how technology can play a role in this, such as within the European project Tracks4Crafts.
The jacket for the mayor is a real demonstration project that brings everything together: 100% Amsterdam Textile, which Waag Futurelab is carrying out together with The Linen Project and a team of people who spin the yarn, weave the linen fabric and design the jacket. It is made entirely from raw materials produced in Amsterdam and will be worn by Femke Halsema in honour of Amsterdam's 750th anniversary, after which it will be transferred to the Amsterdam Museum.
