Established as a way to promote textile awareness and encourage creativity, New York Textile Week celebrates its seventh edition this fall.

According to Lidewij Edelkoort, founder of New York Textile Month “the world of art and design is confronted with a debilitating lack of knowledge concerning textiles. Architects, artists and industrial designers as well as fashion designers no longer know the materials they work with each day of their careers. At a time when textile heritage is at a crossroads and centuries of tradition and knowledge are being compromised, the need arises to protect these endangered species in the same way we have come to defend our animal friends in the natural world; therefore we urgently need to discuss and talk about textiles again.”

People of African Descent have a long history with textiles. Spanning the African continent, on the shores of the Caribbean, Americas and in Europe. We have cultivated the use of fiber in clothing, costumes, ceremonial dress, art and contemporary fashion.

This post spotlights a number of textile art from Jacob Lawrence to Xenobia Bailey. And we wish to honor this tradition by hosting a special natural dye workshop in October where the public can engage with the creation of a textile work. Please visit our online store next week to register at https://westharlemartfund.bigcartel.com