The textile revolution is officially afoot, thanks to Dutch textile label Byborre and their groundbreaking new digital platform Byborre Create. The platform allows anyone to design complex textiles, and the 2021 Dutch Design Awards even named it the product of the year.
Byborre has previously worked with folks at Adidas, Rapha, and BMW, pioneering an innovative way to produce 3D-knitted fabrics that were a cut above anything else out there. Instead of keeping these techniques and processes under wraps, they opted to use their power to disrupt the textile industry by democratizing responsible textile development through Byborre Create.
Byborre’s co-founder and creative director, Borre Akkersdijk, is on a mission to build an open-source and transparent ecosystem where the supply chain of every textile product becomes a critical consideration for both designer and consumer. The textile industry produces mass amounts of waste, and Akkersdijk believes it is his and other textile creators’ responsibility to help reduce harmful byproducts.
“It is one of the most polluting industries in the world,” Akkersdijk says in the spiffy teaser video for Byborre Create on their site. “Our mission is to enable and inspire an entire generation of creators to make less but more meaningful and responsible products. As creatives, we’re the gatekeepers for doing better.”
The user-friendly platform allows individuals to create textiles in three steps, beginning with identifying textile packages that include various knit types and functional yarns that suit a given use case, creating the color, and then applying custom artwork.
For now, prospective users can request access by filling out a form on Byborre Create’s website. Eventually, though, the plan is for Byborre Create to be open to everyone.