Rotterdam

Rotterdam is an increasingly attractive place for the T&C sector. The city has an open, creative climate and an atmosphere in which T&C professionals feel free to experiment and deviate from the beaten path. A new generation of designers in Rotterdam focuses not only on the artistic quality of fashion, but also on how fashion can contribute to societal and sustainable issues (e.g. fashion hub De Wasserij and BlueCity). Residual streams from forestry and agriculture are being used to produce sustainable and renewable fibres for fabrics. Examples include tomato stems, cane yarns, pine needles, and reintroducing a national chain for products made from local wool.

However, there is lack of coordination and networking resulting in a fragmented sector that could be improved. One aspect is the weak link between T&C sector education and industry, in that focus is strongly on design, so students don’t know how to run a business or anything about manufacturing, while university students know about the business side, but lack knowledge on design, fabrics and manufacturing. To this regard, there is room for improvement, especially connecting universities, vocational training and industry. Erasmus University Rotterdam is addressing this gap with Minor in Fashion Industry open to students of TU Delft, Leiden and Erasmus, as well masters courses that deal with sustainability, entrepreneurship, heritage, and media activism in fashion.

Another interesting aspect of the textile industry in Rotterdam is that, as the largest European port, the city is a major importer and exporter of post-consumer textiles. A significant part of the sorters who process these textiles are located around the Port of Rotterdam. Although the textile sorters in the region collect approximately 126,000 tons of textile annually, 31% of it is no longer re-wearable, and 10% ends up in the incinerator.

Rotterdam has a very young and diverse population, posing interesting opportunities in relation to (re)skilling. Meanwhile, the EU and national government set targets and new regulations such as the Extended Producer Responsibility. The EPR is seen as an important tool to help make the T&C chain more sustainable. Yet developments like these bring many uncertainties for fashion makers who are less versed in these regulations. This creates a greater need for knowledge sharing and cooperation.

For a sustainability transition and not just an adaptation of existing practice it is necessary that all parties involved in the T&C chain change along with it. Thanks to the high concentration of second-hand textiles in the Rotterdam region, it is possible to scale up innovative recycling techniques for no longer re-wearable textiles. Collaboration between different levels of education can also be strengthened. For this, however, it is important that there is more connection and visibility within the T&C chain. The city’s circular and creative industry are not yet sufficiently connected in the field of fashion. There is still a clear division noticeable between the front and back of the T&C chain.