A Weekend of Creativity and Circular Innovation
On Friday, April 4, Tex Terra launched a three-day Textile Hackathon in Texture museum Kortrijk. Sixteen motivated participants—diverse in age and background—came together for an inspiring weekend of collaboration, innovation, and textile exploration. Their mission: to develop creative and sustainable solutions to the growing issue of textile waste, all within a short and intense timeframe.
The hackathon kicked off with a warm welcome, followed by an engaging icebreaker to connect the participants. TexTerra then introduced their mission, which closely aligns with WATF by Fedustria: bringing young designers and the textile industry together to drive sustainable change. Their shared vision is a circular future—one where no new raw materials are needed and textile waste is drastically reduced.
To prepare for the hackathon, participants could attend practical workshops in advance. These sessions introduced key techniques related to circular design and offered insight into how companies can handle leftover materials through resell, reuse, and remake. This mindset of circular thinking remained central throughout the weekend, with inclusivity and psychological safety also playing an important role in the group dynamic.
The jury of the Tex Terra Hackathon consisted of four experienced and versatile professionals, each with their own expertise in the creative and textile sectors. Sara represented Okret, an organization focused on innovative social projects. Pauline joined from the Fashion Museum Hasselt, contributing in-depth knowledge of fashion history and innovation. Jens, affiliated with LUCA School of Arts, brought an academic and artistic perspective to the evaluation. Lastly, Christina from De Creatieve Stem is known for her strong focus on education and creative development among young people. This diverse panel ensured a nuanced and balanced assessment of all proposals.
Four Challenges, One Goal
Participants were invited to choose from four real-world challenges provided by industry partners, each focused on textile waste:
Participants were invited to choose from four real-world challenges provided by industry partners, each focused on textile waste:
- Tomorrowland presented a challenge around their large volumes of unused merchandise and leftover materials. Participants had to repurpose these into new products without revealing the recognizable branding—a true exercise in creativity and sustainability.
- Wolvis, a brand known for its high-quality, sustainable scarves, donated damaged products for upcycling into innovative, functional designs.
- Mie-Time, based in Ghent, runs tufting workshops where colorful leftover yarns accumulate. The challenge: transform these textile remnants into something new and useful.
- JBC contributed their challenge involving used baby bodysuits, which cannot be resold due to hygiene regulations. Participants were tasked with finding ways to extend the life of these garments through circular solutions.
After the first content sessions and a relaxed pizza break to connect informally, participants headed home full of energy, ready to start fresh the next day. Day two was all about brainstorming and prototype design—also known as Ideation Day. Using mind maps and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), teams defined their core problem and explored potential solutions. These were visualized on large posters, with each group approaching the task in their own creative way.
On Sunday, the final day, participants focused on finalizing, testing, and validating their prototypes. They also attended a short but insightful session on how to effectively pitch an idea—a valuable skill that helped them present their team efforts clearly and convincingly to the jury.
After intensive brainstorming sessions, prototyping, and pitching, the teams delivered strong concepts within the theme of sustainable textiles. Each project was awarded a thematic ‘participant medal’, while the jury also presented their own awards in four categories. The Wolvis team received the medal for best textile technique, while Tomorrowland impressed the jury in both sustainability and design thinking. The JBC group was praised for its creative approach. Ultimately, the Wolvis team was named the overall winner of the hackathon, thanks to their thoughtful and versatile approach to restoring or transforming damaged scarves into new products, always with a focus on circularity.
With the pitches complete, the intense but inspiring weekend came to an end. The participants left feeling fulfilled, having gained hands-on experience, new skills, and fresh perspectives on circular innovation. The weekend offered much more than just problem-solving: participants built new skills, collaborated with experts, and connected with like-minded peers in a supportive environment.
Textile waste remains an under-addressed problem. While production continues to rise, sustainable practices still lag behind. Events like this hackathon are essential—not only to raise awareness but also to develop tangible solutions and engage the next generation of changemakers.
This Textile Hackathon was organized by TexTerra in partnership with Cobot, Texture, De Creatieve STEM, and Okret, with support from VLAIO.
