The TextielMuseum on Goirkestraat occupies a former textile factory and still operates as one — Jacquard looms run daily, producing contemporary designs alongside the historical exhibits. The combination of industrial process and design history is genuinely engaging, even for people who did not come to Tilburg specifically for its textile past.
The museum has a smart shop selling fabrics and objects produced in the building, which makes for a more interesting souvenir than most. The TextielLab section works with contemporary designers and fashion brands; some of the pieces coming off the looms are headed for international collections. Tilburg's textile industry collapsed in the 1960s and 70s, and this building is both a monument to that lost world and evidence that the craft is not entirely gone.