Paul teaches Jim and Marijn how to listen to the loom

In Tilburg, once the beating heart of the Dutch textile industry, the craft of weaving is being revived. Through its own master-apprentice programme, the TextielLab is training a new generation of artisans.

“TextielMuseum is looking for bicycle mechanics.” With this eye-catching job listing, the TextielLab sought new craftspeople: people with skilled hands, technical insight, and above all, a strong desire to learn a craft. Experience in the textile world was not required. What mattered most was curiosity and commitment. The reason? Training to become a weaver no longer exists in the Netherlands, and the number of weaving workshops can be counted on one hand. The craft of weaving is in danger of disappearing. This prompted the TextielLab to establish its own master-apprentice programme, nurturing new talent and safeguarding the knowledge for the future.

The new generation: Jim and Marijn

Jim Rollé and Marijn Verstappen both responded to the call for “bicycle mechanics”. Jim finds working at the TextielMuseum and TextielLab incredibly rewarding. He moves through the lab and museum as if he has worked there his entire life: greeting colleagues, cracking jokes. Although he had never practised a technical craft before, he enjoys the work. “You don’t need to understand everything right away – it’s a matter of doing. Besides, it’s mechanics; the logic reveals itself naturally.”

F.l.t.r: Jim Rollé, Michel Leermakers, Marijn Verstappen en Paul Looijkens, Photo by Patty van den Elshout

If you had asked him a few years ago, Jim would never have imagined working with textiles. After four years in a tapas kitchen and five years as a maintenance painter, he felt it was time for something different. “In my free time, I enjoyed being creative and tufting small rugs,” he explains. “My mother thought this might be something for me. Adjusting tensioners. Weaving repairs. Keeping the warp beam under tension. Tinkering… This is where I’m learning the craft.”

Photo by Patty van den Elshout

Marijn, too, never imagined he would end up at a knowledge institute like TextielLab. “I’m a jack-of-all-trades, master of none,” he jokes. Marijn has worked as a sound engineer, installed solar panels, and handled components for the oil industry. Now he has found his place, helping designers bring their ideas to life. “The machines, working with product developers, the technical side of things – that variety is amazing. At TextielLab, I can keep learning and keep growing.”

The master: Paul Looijkens

You can safely call Paul Looijkens a textile veteran. This sprightly octogenarian started working in a textile factory at the age of fourteen. Knotting, weaving samples, setting up looms – he has done it all. Paul is a wealth of knowledge and stories. Above all, he is a true craftsman.

When he stands at the 1930 Buckskin loom, his hands move over the machine with the precision of a pianist. He knows exactly – and we mean exactly – how the Buckskin and many other looms in the museum work. Paul is one of the masters teaching Jim and Marijn their craft. Every Thursday, you’ll find him in the museum, explaining, demonstrating, collaborating, and sharing stories from the past.

Paul Looijkens, Photo by Patty van den Elshout

One-point lessons and knowledge preservation

An important part of the master-apprentice programme is the restoration of old looms. Technical specialist Michel Leermakers works on projects within the TextielLab, ensuring that this knowledge is preserved. Under Paul’s guidance, Michel collaborates with Jim and Marijn on restoring the Jacquard loom, a machine dating back to 1925.

“Paul shares his knowledge and shows how to operate and maintain the machine. To capture this knowledge and Paul’s methods efficiently, we create one-point lessons,” he explains. “These are concise manuals in which a single task is clearly explained using photos, videos, and short texts. With such a lesson, anyone with technical understanding can see exactly what needs to be done.”

Together, all the one-point lessons on the Jacquard loom form a valuable document, preserving knowledge about operating and maintaining the machine for future generations.

Michel Leermakers, Photo by Patty van den Elshout

At present, there are very few people in the Netherlands who know more about how the looms work than Marijn and Jim. “The special thing about this project,” says Marijn, “is that the lab and museum really give us the time and space to do it properly.”

“You can’t rely on written instructions alone,” emphasises Paul. “You can’t draw or write everything down. It’s also crucial to let the machine run and to work with it. A weaver must see, hear, and feel. Sometimes you just hear that something isn’t right. The machine tells you what’s going wrong, if you listen carefully.”

Watch, think, then act

Paul himself learned the craft from specialists in the textile factories where he worked. He is pleased to pass on the trade in this way. “It’s vital that this knowledge isn’t lost. If we don’t record it, soon no one will know how these machines worked. I can see that these men are genuinely interested – that feels really good.”

Even technical specialist Michel continues to learn from Paul. “Watch, think, and then act. That’s what Paul teaches us.”

Gerard Kuijpers, Photo by Patty van den Elshout

When is the master-apprentice programme a success? Gerard Kuijpers, Manager of Technology & Operations at TextielLab, reflects: “This craft is an important part of our industrial heritage, one we must continue to invest in. If, in the future, no one knows how to weave, it will be lost – forever. This project will be a success if, in a few years’ time, these two men are still working here with enjoyment, maintaining and operating the looms, sharing the stories, and keeping the craft alive.”

Text: Gertjan Harberink