Enschede Textielstad: then and now

When you walk through the city of Enschede you can still see factory chimneys sticking out here and there. These are remnants of the textile city of Enschede. In two centuries, from 1728, Enschede became one of the largest textile cities in Western Europe.

In the first textile factory in Enschede, bombasine cloth was woven, a strong woven fabric in a twill weave. The city housed dozens of large factory buildings, smoking chimneys, and thousands of workers walking, cycling, or taking the tram or bus to work and home.

Crisis in the textile industry

In the 1950s the city fell into a deep crisis. The Dutch East Indies, an important market, disappeared. Subsequently, production was moved to low-wage countries, resulting in mass layoffs. In the 1960s, the last textile factories closed their doors, except for two.

A.C. ter Kuile and Scholten & van Heek are currently the only two weaving mills still located in Enschede. A.C. ter Kuile is a weaving mill that specializes in interlinings, such as plastrons, tie liners and adhesive liners. Scholten & van Heek specializes in weaving bands and braiding rope and laces.

Weaving mill Enschede Textielstad

In addition to A.C. ter Kuile and Scholten & van Heek, Enschede also has a new weaving mill, namely Enschede Textielstad. This weaving mill was founded 7 years ago by Annemieke Koster, and is housed on the site of A.C. ter Kuile. Thanks to the nice collaboration with this company, Enschede Textielstad can use the knowledge and craftsmanship of the weavers who have many years of experience.

Below you can see our sustainable fashion and interior fabrics: