The Textile Institute celebrates 100th Anniversary

07 May '10

3 min read

1910 was the year of Halley's comet (visible from earth April 20); the year Tolstoy died; Stravinsky's ballet ''The Firebird'' opened in Paris; in England, King Edward VII died and in Germany one of the first commercial Zeppelin passenger flights took place; in textiles, Courtaulds Ltd, of the UK were in the process of building the American Viscose Company plant in Pennsylvania with the aim of being the first successful US producer, and in New York Women's Wear Daily began publication; and maybe most importantly in 1910 the first international textile membership organisation was inaugurated on April 22 in Manchester in the centre of the UK - The Textile Institute became a reality.

Looking back into the archives of the Institute a quote from 1913 resonates and could have been written yesterday, speaking at the Ghent Congress, Mr Frank Warner stated, “The Textile Institute is ot of Manchester: it is not even of England: it is THE Textile Institute. It exists for advancing the interests of the textile industry in every aspect, in the scientific, the technical, the artistic and the economic”. To this day the Institute covers all aspects of textiles and provides a worldwide professional network for people associated with fibres and fabrics; clothing and footwear; and interior and technical textiles.

The formal inauguration of The Textile Institute took place in Manchester, UK on the 22nd April 1910 with Sir Henry Holland Bt MP (later becoming Lord Rotherham) becoming the first President of the Institute. From the beginning the membership of the Institute has been organised in and by Sections. By 1953 there were 10 Sections and in that year the first overseas Section was set up in Calcutta, India. To meet the growing need of an international industry Sections followed in Australia,Bangladesh, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Switzerland. To this day all of these Sections as well as the Special Interest Groups are as crucial and relevant to the functioning of the Institute today as they were at the beginning.

Celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2010 The Textile Institute, its Sections and Special Interest Groups worldwide will be organising special events, culminating in the Institute's World Conference taking place in Manchester in November, immediately followed by the Parliamentary Lunch at the Houses of Parliament in London. Manchester is not only the historic birthplace of the Institute but also continues to be the home of its international headquarters. The Institute is also a registered charity and gained Royal Chartered status in 1925, allowing members to gain chartered qualifications (becoming an Associate, or a Fellow, as well as a non Charted Qualification of Licentiate).

On the day before the Institute's Annual General Meeting (AGM) the Institute will hold a special Lord Major's Civic Reception and Dinner Dance on May 9 at Manchester Town Hall.Organised by the Manchester and Cheshire Section the event will be a celebration of everything that the Institute has achieved in 100 years and is yet to achieve as it moves forward into a new period of growth and development of the services offered. The Institute may be celebrating one hundred years but is today a vital, enlivened and important organisation providing a truly global network for the fast moving, international textile industry.

The Textile Institute

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