The roots of Textilis date back to the late 1980s, when The IK Foundation laid the foundation for a number of monumental textile inventories and research projects in Scandinavia. Projects that developed in the coming decades geographically, but also with the publishing of monographs and exhibitions.
The projects and their development have since the beginning been led by Textile historian Viveka Hansen, who over the years has shared this responsibility with other research-related tasks within The IK Foundation. A significant revival took place in March 2013 when Viveka Hansen laid the foundation for a new form of digital platform called Textilis - a place where practical and theoretical textile knowledge goes hand in hand.

The next stepping stone for Textilis was, in February 2018, when it became an official division of The IK Workshop Society – a global and unique forum for all those interested in Natural & Cultural History. Like The IK Workshop Society itself, Textilis is a unique phenomenon, in some respects an experiment with very long-term ambitions where all work is done within the framework of a Creative Commons license.
Today, Textilis is a dynamic, advancing own department within The IK Workshop Society with many connections to textile communities throughout the world.
Find out a little more about what Textilis is up to, or read an essay, or if you are interested about the Textile historian and institutor Viveka Hansen and a great deal more – a warm welcome to browse the site!