The Social Hub and BYBORRE bring the unique exhibition 'The Elephant in the Room' to Dutch Design Week

An immersive experience focusing on innovative and responsible textile design.

Eindhoven, 21 September — Every year in October, Eindhoven hosts Dutch Design Week (DDW), the largest design event in Northern Europe, drawing over 350,000 visitors from both the domestic and international spheres. This year, The Social Hub Eindhoven opens its doors for an exhibition by one of its long-standing ambassadors and changemakers in the textile industry, BYBORRE. The exhibition, ‘The Elephant in the Room’, made its debut in collaboration with partners (full list here) during Milan Design Week this spring and is now making its first appearance in the Netherlands. It sheds light on the intricacies of the textile industry with a primary focus on encouraging designers to take control of the impact of their design decisions. During DDW, The Social Hub Eindhoven serves as a meeting place for changemakers, talents, experts and those interested in the design and textile industry. Through a diverse programme, BYBORRE and The Social Hub aim to inspire, teach and present innovative design. Find all information about the programme — which is open to everyone — and related talks here.

The Social Hub, here connect

The innovative hybrid hospitality concept, The Social Hub, is designed to welcome students, tourists, neighbours and entrepreneurs, creating meaningful and inspiring experiences. 

"We are incredibly proud to open our doors to our ambassador, BYBORRE, during DDW. We aim to spotlight changemakers in the design and textile industries, fully embracing our role as facilitators. By forging collaborations and connecting with various industry stakeholders, we can collectively make even more impact," says Frank Uffen, Managing Director of Community & Partnerships at The Social Hub. 

The Social Hub's events programme continually seeks to represent different communities, mindsets and industries in collaboration with its 150 European ambassadors. In addition to the exhibition, The Social Hub hosts various workshops and talks during DDW, including one by renowned British contemporary designer, Yinka Ilori.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room
The exhibition 'The Elephant in the Room' offers an immersive experience for changemakers in the textile sector, encouraging designers to take responsibility for the consequences of their decisions. By showcasing the various steps in the textile industry's supply chain, from sourcing materials to creating end products, 'The Elephant in the Room' provides a deeper understanding of the complexities and challenges in this industry. The exhibition is a tribute to effecting positive change, exploring topics often left unspoken and fostering honest conversations. BYBORRE aims to drive material innovation, collaboration and transparency throughout the entire textile industry.

"Collaborations are essential to making a meaningful impact on a large scale. The Social Hub is a great example of how a company can use a space to connect inspiring and relevant individuals. We are delighted to highlight this sense of collaboration during one of Europe's biggest design weeks, hosted in this perfectly situated hub in Eindhoven," says Borre Akkersdijk, Founder and Creative Director at BYBORRE

Join BYBORRE and The Social Hub Eindhoven during Dutch Design Week and discover responsible design

EXHIBITION

An immersive exhibition that dissects the supply chain process of creating BYBORRE textiles and showcases the process behind the tag.

TALKS

# Design Impact by Yinka Ilori

#Designing for Social by The Social Hub

CREATE™ WORKSHOP

An interactive workshop and work session using BYBORRE's Create™ platform. Participating designers can interact and experiment with the textile design platform and receive their knitted samples within just 24 hours.

INTRODUCTION TO TEXTILES™

Samuel de Goede-Stoutenbeek, Head of Design at BYBORRE, will present the enhanced BYBORRE ready-to-order, responsible and customisable textile collection. The new collection is a fusion of fundamental and expressive fabrics, carefully curated to embody the distinctive BYBORRE aesthetics.

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For more information, please contact:

Nikki van Outheusden, nikki@studioei.nl or Bibi Timmerman, bibi@studioei.nl 

About BYBORRE 

BYBORRE combines technology and textile expertise to bring a new standard to the industry by unlocking material innovation, sharing its vast experience on circular knitting and making their transparent supply chain available to all clients. They believe that, without the much-needed transparency, positive change is impossible. Borre Akkersdijk founded BYBORRE in 2015 to realize the ultimate mission to inspire and enable an entire generation of creators to make better and more responsible textiles for everyday products. Together with an international team of 50+ specialists, he took on the responsibility to push the boundaries of the conventional textile industry, make responsible textiles more accessible through material innovation, digital design services and on-demand production.

About DDW
Dutch Design Week (DDW) is the ultimate podium for quality design. DDW is all about the design of the future and the future of design. DDW opens, inspires, shares and connects. During the nine-day event, Eindhoven is completely immersed in design, with all conceivable disciplines and aspects of design on offer. The emphasis is on expertise and talent, experimentation, innovation and crossovers. DDW23 will take place from 21 to 29 October in Eindhoven (NL)