TEX DESIGN takes Detroit by storm with Spell Blanket and a keynote speech on design-driven innovation
In September, TEX DESIGN took part in Detroit Month of Design, one of the most important design festivals in North America. At the invitation of Detroit UNESCO City of Design, Stijn Debaillie, director of Designregio Kortrijk, and Daphne Renier, Product Manager for Textiles at Fedustria, delivered the keynote speech ‘Connecting Textile Innovation + Creative Talent’. During this session, they explained how TEX DESIGN brings together Belgian textile companies and creative talent to foster new forms of innovation.
The presentation focused on the power of collaboration between industry and designers. An international audience of entrepreneurs, designers, researchers and policymakers was shown how TEX DESIGN challenges companies to look at materials, processes and applications in a different light. What began as an experiment has, in recent years, grown into an inspiring platform that puts the Belgian textile sector in the international spotlight.
A prominent place in the keynote was reserved for Spell Blanket, the installation developed in 2025 by designer Emma Gogné as part of TEX DESIGN. The project premiered at the WONDER Creativity Festival 2025 in Kortrijk and has since travelled, in collaboration with POM West Flanders, to international destinations such as Bilbao and Frankfurt. Spell Blanket demonstrates how the combination of textile expertise, craftsmanship and artistic research can lead to a result that is at once experimental, innovative and internationally relevant.
TEX DESIGN is a joint initiative by Fedustria and Designregio Kortrijk, supported by POM West Flanders, which brings together a new designer with a selection of Belgian textile companies every year. Following STARLIGHT SHINE by designer Victor Verhelst in 2024 and Spell Blanket by Emma Gogné in 2025, the latest installation will be unveiled this autumn during WONDER: ASCENDANT by artist and designer Charbel Abou Zeidan.
For this third edition, Charbel Abou Zeidan collaborated with leading Belgian textile companies such as De Poortere Frères, B&T Textilia, Green Street Fabrics, Ragolle Rugs, Sofa Cover and Bekaert Deslee, supported by the social enterprise AAROVA. The result is a monumental installation comprising several textile works, which visitors will be able to discover from late October onwards during the WONDER Creativity Festival 2026.
The presence in Detroit was more than just a presentation of a few successful projects. For Designregio Kortrijk and Fedustria, TEX DESIGN serves as a strategic tool to showcase the innovative strength of the Belgian textile sector. By connecting designers, companies, knowledge institutions and international networks, new insights, unexpected collaborations and international opportunities for the sector are created.
The invitation from Detroit also confirms the growing international interest in the model developed in Kortrijk. As a UNESCO City of Design, Kortrijk is increasingly sharing its expertise with other creative cities around the world. TEX DESIGN demonstrates that the combination of entrepreneurship, craftsmanship and creativity not only leads to impressive installations, but also to a stronger and more forward-looking ecosystem for the textile industry.
Sébastien Hylebos
Sébastien is responsible for circular economy and textile projects in collaboration with companies and designers. He is also responsible for providing general support to the organisation.
