Design Region Kortrijk explores social and sustainable textiles in Bilbao
In November, Designregio Kortrijk travelled to Bilbao with several partners for an inspiring design business trip. The Basque city, known worldwide for its creative dynamism and iconic Guggenheim effect, proved to be the ideal setting to explore social and sustainable entrepreneurship in the textile industry. Over the past few decades, Bilbao has transformed itself from an industrial city into a vibrant centre of design and innovation, recognised by UNESCO as a Creative City of Design. Today, it is a place where architecture, culture and technology converge and where design is a driver of economic growth and social well-being.
Our trip coincided with Bilbao-Bizkaia Design Week, an event that showcases the region's creative sector. During this week, we visited the 5X5® Bilbao exhibition, a unique collaborative project between Kortrijk and Bilbao. Local companies worked together with design studios from Flanders and the Basque Country to develop solutions for ecological packaging, technology and circular processes. The installation Spell Blanket by designer Emma Cogné was also given a prominent place, a fine example of how design can connect and inspire.
In addition to this exhibition, our programme focused on innovative initiatives that prioritise sustainability and social impact. We were introduced to Grupo Peñascal, a social cooperative that, through its Perpetum Mobile project, gives discarded materials, such as old mattress covers, a second life in the form of unique textile products. This initiative combines craftsmanship and circularity with social employment, a perfect illustration of how design can create social added value.
We also visited Waste Lab Bizkaia, a progressive centre in Bizkaia's Parque Tecnológico. Here, research and experimentation in waste management and the circular economy are encouraged. The lab serves as a meeting place for companies, researchers, students and the general public, and is strongly committed to collaboration and awareness-raising in order to develop sustainable solutions.
Finally, we discovered the Basque BioDesign Centre, an innovative laboratory where nature, science and design reinforce each other. The centre investigates how biomaterials and circular solutions can contribute to sustainable industries and creative applications. We were given an insight into projects that combine biotechnology and design, such as textiles made from algae or leather made from bacteria – groundbreaking ideas that show what the future of design could look like.
With participants from Designregio Kortrijk, Fedustria, the Circular Material Centre of POM West Flanders and companies Aarova and Deltracon, this trip was not only a source of inspiration, but also an opportunity to further develop our international collaboration. It fits seamlessly with our new strategy and impact objectives: promoting sustainability, strengthening collaboration, inspiring young people and anchoring our international position. Bilbao proves that design can play a key role in social transformation – a vision that we share and want to promote further.
Stijn Debaillie
Coordinator
