When I visited the National Museum of Ethnology, I discovered that my next visit should be the Textile Research Center in Leiden. A few weeks later I visited this amazing place which to me has been very valuable for the design process of this project.
TRC Leiden has a collection of 10000 items of textiles, garments and accessories from all over the world. One of the things that makes this place so great is the personalized attention visitors receive. When I arrived a staff member welcomed me and explained what the center’s activities are as well as introduced me to the exhibition in display “Dressing Sheba- Glittering garments and jewelry from Yemen”. Later I was lucky to be introduced to the director of the center Dr.Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood. We talked about the project and my ambition to learn about the tradition, symbolism and meaning behind the traditional garments of the 10 selected countries for the project. She kindly explained that the TRC’s library is open to visitors and has been given me wise advice about how to make decisions on which garments to select for each country. I was also very lucky to have her show me around and share her knowledge about some of the garments from Yemen displayed in the exhibition.
The Textile Research Center – Leiden is a hidden treasure. I’ve been recommending many people to visit their exhibitions and library. You can find here more information about their activities and workshops.