Designed to dry – Kitty van der Mijll Dekker X Vera Roggli
27 January 2024-12 January 2025
TextielMuseum, Tilburg, the Netherlands
Our relationship with household textiles has changed considerably over the years. In the damask presentation, you will discover more about this history and dive into the story of the – at the time – leading designer Kitty van der Mijll Dekker. This history inspired contemporary designer Vera Roggli.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, people handled household textiles differently than today. For instance, you had different types of cloths in your kitchen, each with its own function (the ‘pot cloth’, the tea towel, the cook’s towel, etc.), the upper class would bring out the pure white damask table linen for special guests or occasions, and young women would collect all the pieces of their textile trousseau in preparation for marriage. The products were often simple in design and mainly focused on functionality. Kitty van der Mijl Dekker is one of the first textile designers of the era to change this.
About Kitty van der Mijll Dekker:
Kitty van der Mijll Dekker (1908-2004) was an influential Dutch designer of interior and household textiles. After her Bauhaus education, she started a successful hand-weaving business, where she created unique designs for curtains and furniture fabrics, among others. For years, she was one of the regular designers for Linnenfabriek E.J.F. van Dissel & Zonen and inspired generations as a teacher in Amsterdam. Her creative strength lay in her in-depth weaving knowledge, experimenting with materials and mixing colours. In doing so, she never lost sight of functionality.
About Vera Roggli:
Antwerp-based textile designer Vera Roggli (1991) likes to fully understand a textile object and discover what stories they tell. In her ‘Thread by Thread’ project, she used a simple tea towel as a mentor. By dissecting the cloth thread by thread, she discovered the complexity of woven structures. Using these insights, she created ‘portraits’ on industrial looms, sharing her knowledge gained during collaborations with weavers, artisans and other behind-the-scenes textile heroes. Vera hopes her creations inspire people to be curious about the stories and craftsmanship behind everyday textiles.
More information can be found online here.
Image: Tea towels to original design by Kitty van der Mijll Dekker (design 1939). Photo by Josefina Eikenaar.
