Byborre’s Radical Textile Model Merges Craft, Digital Innovation and Accountability

Byborre champions on-demand production and a “Textile Passport” to emphasise material transparency and reduce waste. Could you elaborate on how this model challenges conventional production systems and the biggest sustainability benefits you've observed so far?
Mijke van Ballegooijen: Traditional textile production is built around scale: long runs, massive inventories, and little visibility into where the yarns come from. Our model challenges that by producing only what’s needed and documenting every step of a textile’s journey.

Producing on demand should be the norm — but unfortunately, it isn’t. It’s still cheaper to overproduce and throw away the rest than to do the opposite.

At Byborre, the result is less waste and a supply chain that’s actually accountable. This should be the standard across the industry, and brands should be held responsible when they don’t comply. But we’re not there yet. We will eventually.

Byborre has embraced an open-platform mentality, giving creators—large and small—a pathway to craft via your digital tools. How does this democratisation shape innovation in the broader textile ecosystem, and what challenges and opportunities does it present for collaboration?

Mijke van Ballegooijen: Whether you’re an emerging designer or a global brand, you can work with the same tools and processes. You can create from scratch using our platform—with or without support from our team—or you can explore our Textile Room, where adjusting colours and patterns is quick and easy with a fully configurable system.

We’re the first textile company to offer a configurable system, and that’s a big achievement. We designed the system to support interior and architect studios to quickie and simply create unique textile. We wanted to simplify the process for them.

Byborre Create offers features like lifecycle impact data, recycled content selection, and CO₂ or water-saving indicators. How do these features influence designers’ choices, and what role do you believe such transparency plays in driving responsible textile decisions?
Mijke van Ballegooijen: When a designer can see the footprint of a decision in real time, responsibility becomes a design parameter, just like colour or texture. Transparency doesn’t just inform; it should change behavior, because in the end, we are all responsible. It’s up to us to make the right choices, as producers, designers, and buyers.

The fashion and textile industry is one of the most polluting sectors in the world. This isn’t rhetoric or exaggeration: it’s a reality we must confront.

We are releasing our new Impact Report and there we can see the journey, the improvement and path ahead.

Your work spans fashion, sportswear, interior design, and even automotive sectors. How does Byborre adapt its approach across such diverse applications, and what lessons do you take from one sector to accelerate innovation in another?
Mijke van Ballegooijen: The underlying approach is the same: what you learn in one field often unlocks progress in another. That cross-pollination keeps us ahead and design is based on cross-pollination.

We started with fashion; it’s the first industry to recognise the quality and uniqueness of our textiles. We worked with great brands and it was a fantastic moment for us. We then began producing garments. Over time, our focus shifted because responsibility became central to our agenda. Fashion moves fast, we want to produce well and avoid creating more waste. But not only, longevity is necessary when you speak about sustainability. It’s an aspect that is often overlooked in LCA and not shown by data. Our textiles performed greatly at the abrasion, pilling, and other tests from Intertek, suggesting a long lifespan or our products. That is important.

The world of interior architecture and automotive doesn’t operate at the same speed as fashion, and we didn’t want to flood the market with more products. So we decided to focus on replacing conventional textile with a more responsible alternative. We haven’t left fashion but we expanded to other fields to really be on brand with our ethos.

The textile industry is often described as fragmented and slow to digitalise. From your vantage point, what are the key systemic barriers—whether in technology, culture, or supply chain—and how is Byborre working to overcome them?

Mijke van Ballegooijen: The biggest barrier is mindset and behavioural patterns. Many in the industry still operate within legacy systems focused on mass production. The technology is ready, what’s often missing is the will to adapt or the willingness to work differently. The market is taking for granted that there is always stock available and hence ordering last minute. To change the system, behavior/processes need to change.

At Byborre, we’ve shown that digital platforms can simplify complexity, connect fragmented actors, and deliver transparency without compromising creativity. Our role is to prove that change is possible.

Change isn’t easy, but we are not alone. We are part of a strong community that wants to do better, looks to the future with optimism, and is open to innovating for the better.

Byborre’s high-end, engineered knits are celebrated not just for sustainability but for aesthetics and functionality. How do you manage the balance between creative expression, technical performance, and responsible material choices in your designs?

Mijke van Ballegooijen: We don’t think our textiles are “high-end.” Our price points are comparable to many other makers in the industry. What sets us apart is the technical performance, we carefully select yarns based on longevity and quality for our innovative knitting.

Knitting has long been used in fashion, but in upholstery it’s still a small segment — though that is changing. Knitted textiles are excellent for stretch and performance, which is why we’re seeing growing attention.

Above all, our textiles have a distinct Byborre aesthetic. They are visually strong and expressive, with a striking, recognizable uniqueness.

Looking ahead, how do you envision the role of platforms like Byborre in building more open, collaborative textile innovation ecosystems? What kind of industry transformation do you hope to catalyse in the next 5–10 years?

Mijke van Ballegooijen: We see platforms like ours as the connective tissue of the industry, bridging designers, manufacturers, and material suppliers. The transformation we aim to catalyze is an industry where collaboration is the norm, not the exception. In the future, everything produced should be designed and made with intent and care. Not sure if the world can shift in 5-10 years but we are on the right track.

Your platform has enabled novices, even a 16-year-old, to design and produce textiles rapidly—something that previously took a decade. What do you think this ease of access means for the future generation of textile professionals, and how do you see education evolving around this digital approach?

Mijke van Ballegooijen: It’s true, it took me years to reach a certain level of textile innovation: testing, handling the machines, retesting, trial and error. And then, in our Amsterdam Knitlab, I see a young designer creating something fantastic in no time. It was a mix of feelings for me: pride, excitement, and a reminder of how far access can accelerate learning.

It shows that expertise can now grow through access, not just gatekeeping. We all learn by doing, experimenting directly with real tools rather than waiting for traditional industry entry points. This is the kind of platform we need to give free access to the next generation.

Education is shifting from theory-heavy to practice-led. This lowers barriers and accelerates a new wave of talent. But at its core, it’s about opening doors to collaboration that truly makes a difference.

At our Amsterdam Knitlab, we keep our doors open, welcoming emerging talents, giving tours of the facility, workshops and masterclasses. This is how we all grow: together.