The Textile Research Centre at Boerhaavelaan 6, Leiden.For three years, starting mid-2026, the Textile Research Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands, is offering a total of seven junior and four senior fellowships for up to six months each. Three fellows have already started working in Leiden (compare an interim report by Flora Kovacs-Wester), and in this call we hope to attract more candidates for a fascinating stay next year at the TRC in the historic textile city of Leiden.

The fellowships are being sponsored by the Gieskes-Strijbis Foundation, Amsterdam. Fellows are invited to carry out research based on the TRC’s extensive textiles and dress collection of more than 56,000 items (click here for the online catalogue), most of which directly accessible inside the TRC building. The junior fellows are supervised and assisted by TRC staff; senior fellows carry out independent research.

For this round, two positions are offered, one junior and one senior fellowship, starting in the spring of  2027, for a duration of up to 6 months.

Application deadline is Wednesday 16 December 2026. The selection process will be completed by late January and applicants will be informed by 1 February. Fellowships may start from April/May, or later, depending on personal circumstances.

The fellows are selected by a special committee from among the TRC staff and/or Board, after, if required, the advice of external specialists. As the TRC has just moved to new premises, not all of the TRC collection is as yet directly accessible for research until later in the year. Such items include European regional wear, or originate from the United States, South America and Africa. If you have questions about the availability of some objects or groups of objects you are particularly interested in, please contact us (collection manager: Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken. or the education coordinator: Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken.).

Aims of the fellowship programme

The programme encourages object-based research and stimulates different approaches to view textiles, dress and related accessories (such as through a technical, historical, curatorial or fashion-oriented lens), with the TRC collection at the heart of the planned research. With this prrogramme, the TRC wants to help build a new generation of specialists within the broad field of textiles and dress studies. The TRC also wants to widen knowledge and understanding of the objects in the collection, as well as promote and strengthen the role of the TRC in the world of textile and dress institutions. The TRC wants to contribute to the sustainability of clothing and textiles, and stimulate a better understanding of the wide diversity of textiles and dress, produced, used and worn worldwide. To this purpose, the TRC invites its fellows and others to tell the stories behind our collection objects to a wide audience and to think about and explore the transmission of textile knowledge in a variety of ways (through blogs, articles, photographs, films, exhibitions, workshops, conferences, etc.).

Expected results

The fellowship will preferably result in one or more publications (when suitable) and/or some organised events related to the research (exhibitions of varying sizes, lectures, workshops, etc). The formal structure and final form of the project can be discussed with the appointed TRC supervisor before the start of the fellowship or laid out in the proposal. The fellowship will be concluded with a public lecture about the process and results of the fellowship and a written report by the fellow.

Proposal examples

Proposals may cover a wide variety of topics, for example (but not limited to):

• Archiving and studying our reference collection of textile techniques and equipment.
• Researching the textile and/or dress traditions of a country or region, or a textile technique of your choice.
• Working on our charts and patterns collection and recreating some of the pieces.
• Recreating techniques (weaving, lace-making, knitting, embroidery, etc.) found on a textile sample or in a set of notes in the collection that has not yet been researched, while adding to the relevant historical knowledge.
• Connecting our library with specific objects, or linking different parts of the collection (technical and geographical).
• Studying our collection of dress accessories, such as jewellery, footwear, headwear and bags.

What we ask of our fellows

Fellows are invited to participate in the TRC’s general activities, and to help out, when possible, with other activities, such as the identification of objects, depot and cataloguing work, event supervision, in view of understanding and learning about work in a cultural institution that focusses on textiles and dress.

The TRC organises numerous courses and workshops and is also involved in supervising students who have internships at the TRC. Fellows may be invited to participate in, teach, or organise activities.

Fellows attend regular check-ins with the TRC supervision team, and most of the work and research is done on site, at the TRC. Fellows will have to give a lecture on the results of their research and write a report about it.

Who can apply

We aim to promote diversity and in principle to attract scholars or textile professionals from widely differing social and cultural backgrounds. Applicants may be researchers, curators, educators, conservators, community members, craftspeople or makers, as long as their proposal fits the aims of the fellowship and their interests align with those of the TRC. Fellows, both domestic and international, are selected on the basis of their knowledge of and demonstrable interest in clothing and textiles, their specific interests, their enthusiasm and their willingness to collaborate with others.

For the junior fellowships, we particularly welcome candidates with a relevant Master’s degree or equivalent experience in the field of textiles. For senior fellows, we welcome candidates with a proven background in research or relevant textile experience and preferably a PhD degree. Candidates should have excellent command of English. Knowledge or fluency in Dutch is a plus. Research at the TRC is mainly conducted in English.

What we offer:

• A monthly allowance of €2,300 for the junior fellows and €4,000 for the senior fellows.
• An enthusiastic and stimulating working environment, with colleagues who share a deep passion for textiles and dress.
• A network of national and international institutions and specialists in textiles and dress, with whom to build lasting professional relationships.
• A workspace in the new TRC premises at Boerhaavelaan 6, an urban villa in the historic city of Leiden, just behind Leiden Central Railway Station.
• Access to our facilities, including workspaces, the TRC collection and library, and the library of Leiden University.

Financial and practical matters

Travel and relocation costs are unfortunately not covered by our funding; the monthly allowance is the only financial compensation we can offer and is intended to cover the fellow’s personal and practical costs. Fellows will probably need to register officially as independent professionals (self-employed); the TRC can help with this process.

Help with finding accommodation, visa procedures and health insurance can be discussed individually, but the related costs are not covered by the TRC. Additional material costs for practical projects should be discussed with the TRC. International applicants are advised to take the time needed for visa procedures into account.

How to apply

Applications should include:

• A CV outlining your professional and personal background (max. 2 pages).
• A project proposal describing the planned project, a timeframe, your aims and career plans, and the intended results (max. 8 pages)
• Two recommendations, or the two names and contact details of two referees.

Please state clearly whether you are applying for the junior or the senior fellowship, and send your application to Augusta de Gunzbourg, Manager Exhibitions and Fellowships, Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken.. by 16 December 2026.

For further questions about the fellowships, please contact Augusta de Gunzbourg, Manager Exhibitions and Fellowships, at Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken..

Vind de boeken waar u al zo lang naar zocht, en steun het TRC!

Na het succes van de boekenmarkt van afgelopen zomer organiseren we op zondagmiddag 8 november, van 13.00 tot 16.00 uur, opnieuw een verkoop van boeken over textiel. Er worden honderden tweedehands boeken over textiel, kleding en accessoires aangeboden tegen zeer scherpe prijzen!

Het TRC ontvangt regelmatig boeken als schenking. Wij beoordelen deze vervolgens: kunnen we ze zelf gebruiken, of zijn de titels al aanwezig in de uitgebreide textielbibliotheek van het TRC? Boeken die wij niet zelf in de collectie opnemen, bieden we graag voor een zacht prijsje aan andere textielliefhebbers aan.

Kom gerust langs! Misschien vindt u precies dat ene boek waar u al zo lang naar zocht. Bovendien krijgt u de gelegenheid om de huidige tentoonstelling van het TRC over het paisley-motief te bekijken, de ruimtes en de tuin van het TRC te zien en natuurlijk kennis te maken met de medewerkers van het TRC en andere bezoekers.

Ons adres is: Boerhaavelaan 6, 2334 EN Leiden, vlak achter het centraal station van Leiden.

This brief review of the TRC intensive 5-day textile course of 12-16 October, 2026, was written by one of the participants, Dr Tullia Fraser, assistant curator of the Huang Kam Chak collection, Durham University, UK.

Group photograph of the participants of the TRC Intensive Textile Course, taken in the central hallway of Boerhaavelaan 6, 12-16 October 2026

Last week I attended the Five-Day Intensive Course organised by the Textile Research Centre (TRC), Leiden. Delivered by a formidable team who are such knowledgeable custodians of a ‘living archive’ global collection from which there is much to learn. This experience has inspired new questions and made me look at, research, interpret, teach, talk about (etc.) the textiles in the Huang Kam Chak Yee Collection in an entirely new light: from Late Qing pouches, men’s jackets, to qipao tailored in the 1990s.

This experience feeds into ongoing exciting projects around the Huang Kam Chak Yee Collection, so always more to come. In the meantime, if you are curious about Mrs Huang’s collection, including fashion and foodways, please get in touch.

This mini-exhibition at the TRC is curated by Minsook Kang, who is an intern at the TRC from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. She is a visual artist and researcher working across textiles, moving images, installations and publications. She explores stories, memory, and embodied knowledge through forms of care, attention, and material engagement. In the summer of 2026 she visited the island of Buton in Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. For an extentive blog on the subject, written by Minsook Kang, click here.

A Language of the Hands - Embodied Knowledge and Transmitted Memory in Indonesian Buton Sarongs explores the Buton sarong as a form of embodied and transmitted knowledge.

Drawing on TRC collections and fieldwork in the town of Baubau, the exhibition traces how patterns, motifs, weaving practices, and memories that are  transmitted across generations through speech, observation, and the hands. As a strong oral tradition culture, the sarong emerges as a living textile language shaped by everyday life, nature, and generations of makers.

A Language of the Hands can be visited until 20th of November 2026. The TRC is open every weekday from 10.00 to 15.00.

On 31 August, the TRC opened its doors for a new exhibition: Paisley: The History of a Global Icon (by the curator, Augusta de Gunzbourg)

The new Paisley exhibition at the TRC. Photograph by the curator, Augusta de Gunzbourg.We all know the motif, that cone shape that is curved at the top, which is found on Kashmir shawls, men’s ties, 1970’s hippie prints, or even on cowboy bandanas. Paisley is everywhere !

It is so well-known that it is generally accepted as just being one of those patterns that have always been there, but we rarely think think about its origins and why it is so popular all over the world.

The TRC exhibition is a re-edited, expanded version of one of its past, and online exhibitions (interrupted by the COVID-pandemic) about the famous Paisley motif, and this time mounted in the TRC's new premises along the Boerhaavelaan (No.6) in Leiden.

The exhibition explores the history of the Paisley motif, its ancient origins and its development to the present day. It also looks at how it is currently used for a wide variety of textiles and garments all over the globe.

(Emilie Lambert, collection manager, TRC, 17 October 2026) The TRC houses over 300 pairs of gloves, mittens and gauntlets. They are made of leather, wool or silk, in lace or with net work. They may be knitted, and be practical or purely decorative. The sheer variety, both technically and culturally, is fascinating (Fig. 1). Some of the gloves are highlighted in previous blogs, such as one about Scottish examples, written by Hanke van Prooije in 2025.

Fig 1: Assortment of gloves in the TRC collection showing the wide variety in material, shape, and decoration.

Tokyo-based textile designer Hana Mitsui. Photograph: www.hanatextiledesign.com(Flora Kovacs-Wester, TRC Fellow, 12 October 2026) As part of my research into Japanese kasuri weaving (see my earlier TRC blog post), I recently had the opportunity to interview Japanese textile designer Hana Mitsui about her practice and her approach to traditional Japanese textiles.

Drawing on her experience with leading fashion and textile houses in Japan and internationally, Mitsui combines traditional weaving techniques with new approaches to materials, patterns and production. During our conversation, Mitsui generously offered to donate a selection of samples from her experiments with Kurume kasuri to the TRC. The donated samples make a meaningful addition to TRC’s existing collection of traditional kasuri textiles and enable us to expand the ways in which Kurume kasuri can be understood and researched within the TRC collection.

Mitsui’s ability to see new possibilities in fabric caught the attention of the fashion world early in her career. While studying at the Royal College of Art in London, Alexander McQueen selected her graduation textile for its Spring/Summer 2015 Paris collection.

Het TRC werkt op projectbasis en met financiële donaties uit officiële, commerciële en particuliere bronnen. De financiering wordt gebruikt voor speciale projecten, het in stand houden van de collectie, het opzetten van tentoonstellingen en algemene lopende kosten. Door de jaren heen hebben we veel Vrienden gehad die het werk van het TRC ondersteunen met donaties, zowel financieel als materiaal voor de collectie.

In de afgelopen 30 jaar is de TRC-collectie gegroeid van veertig items tot meer dan 42.000 gecatalogiseerde items. Sinds 2009 is de collectie ondergebracht bij Hogewoerd 164 in Leiden. De opening van deze site maakte ook de uitbreiding van educatieve activiteiten en tentoonstellingen van de groeiende collectie mogelijk. We bevinden ons opnieuw op een kritiek moment in onze groei. We hebben bijna geen ruimte meer voor de collectie, werkruimte en klaslokaal. We hebben onze vrienden nog meer nodig. Tegelijkertijd proberen we de groeiende collectie en het educatieve programma onder te brengen in onze huidige ruimte EN zijn we op zoek naar een nieuwe ruimte. We zijn voorzichtig in deze moeilijke economische tijden, maar hebben goede hoop in de wetenschap dat een nieuwe ruimte ons vermogen om zelfvoorzienend te zijn zal vergroten, omdat we meer workshops kunnen bieden en efficiënter kunnen werken.

Word een deel van onze toekomst en word lid van ons ondersteuningsnetwerk door Vriend van de TRC te worden. Om onze waardering te tonen ontvangt u 10% korting op artikelen in onze winkel, lezingen, cursussen (m.u.v de intensieve 5-daagse cursussen) en workshops. Daarnaast maken alle leden vier keer per jaar kans op een tombolaprijs.

Jaarlijkse bijdrage is  €75; een levenslang lidmaatschap is €500.

Om vriend te worden van het TRC, neemt u alstublieft contact op met ons op het volgende adres: Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken. met als onderwerp: Lidmaatschap Vrienden van het TRC.

Fiscaal voordeel van doneren aan TRC Leiden

Stichting Textile Research Centre is officieel erkend als een non-profit organisatie, een "Culturele ANBI" (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) waarbij giften niet onderworpen zijn aan schenkings- of successierechten en fiscaal aftrekbaar zijn. Uw financiële bijdrage aan de TRC als Vriend is aftrekbaar voor de jaarlijkse belastingaangifte, tot 125% van het bedrag voor particulieren en tot 150% voor bedrijven. U ontvangt hiervoor een ontvangstbevestiging van uw bijdrage aan het TRC. Daarna hoeft u alleen nog maar het bedrag van uw schenking aan te geven in uw jaarlijkse belastingaangifte en het vakje “Culturele ANBI” aan te vinken.