"Our design process begins with the body and unfolds through material. We explore how textiles move, respond, and create new forms of awareness — physical, emotional, and spatial."
About the studio
We see textiles not just as materials, but as mediators—active participants in how we move through the world, perceive our surroundings, and express ourselves. From the intimacy of clothing to the scale of architecture, our work explores the full potential of textiles to connect, care, and adapt.
Founded in 2010 by designer and researcher Pauline van Dongen, our Arnhem-based studio operates at the intersection of design, material innovation, and technology. With a dedicated team and a wide network of collaborators, we create pioneering projects that are rooted in embodied experience. Whether supporting emotional wellbeing through haptic feedback or generating clean energy through soft solar fabrics, our designs are shaped by attention—to people, environments, and the unseen forces that move between them.
Our interdisciplinary team works closely with partners in science, industry, education, and the arts. Together, we translate complex ideas into tangible, responsive products—from award-winning wearables like MYSA and Issho, to large-scale solar projects like SUNTEX and the Umbra Pavilion.
Philosophy
We believe that technology can add new value and meaning to textiles and fashion as well as generating new forms of expressions that enhance the way we experience the world. Driven by materials, experimentation and research we create tactile interfaces that move with and for us. To achieve this, our design process places a strong emphasis on materiality and the way it is capable of enhancing expression.
By working with smart materials, responsive technologies, and environmental dynamics, we create textiles that breathe, shift, and sense. We approach technology not as something to hide or dominate, but as something to soften, embody, and relate to. In this way, we invite a more conscious and caring relationship with the things we wear and the spaces we inhabit. Through this lens, we design for a future that is not only smarter, but also more grounded, humane, and alive.
Partnerships
We believe that meaningful innovation emerges through collaboration. Our projects come to life in close partnership with research institutions, industry leaders, cultural organizations, and fellow designers. Together, we explore new applications for smart and solar textiles — from experimental prototypes to public installations and architectural applications. Over the years, we’ve collaborated with organizations such as Tentech, TNO, Philips, TU Eindhoven, 3D Systems, Schoeller Textiles, TextielLab, The Woolmark Company, Blue Loop Originals, Secrid, and ASCA.
We continue to welcome new collaborations that challenge conventions and expand the role of textiles in shaping a more conscious and connected future. For more info about partnerships and commissions contact: contact@paulinevandongen.nl
Our partners and collaborators include:
TU Eindhoven / Trotec / 3D Systems / Philips Research / Holst Centre / Alta Devices / Schoeller Textiles / Italdenim / Santoni / Studio Eva De Laat / Textiellab / Slem / Elitac / Xsens / by-wire.net / Centexbel / The Woolmark Company / Blue Loop Originals / Waddenvereniging / Statex
We like to thank the Creative Industries Fund NL and NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) for their invaluable support. We also would like to thank the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate for supporting our SUNTEX R&D project.
