Textilmuseet
Museum in Textile Fashion Center about the textile industry in Borås, Swedish fashion history and a sustainable textile future, with textile machines in full operation.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Textilmuseet grew out of a time when the teko (textile) industry declined sharply in the 1960s. A few committed people from Borås wanted to save the history of the Swedish textile and clothing industry, and the result was Tekomuseet, which later took the name Textilmuseet. At first objects connected with Borås and the Sjuhärad area were collected, but the collection has grown over the years and the field of collection has been broadened.
The museum was first housed in the old factories of Konstsilke in the Simonsland block. After about twenty years the activity had outgrown the premises, and in 1992 it moved to Åkerlund’s old cotton-spinning mill. In 2010 the municipal executive board, together with the university college and the business community, decided to gather the city’s textile activities under one roof in Textile Fashion Center. The museum therefore returned to Simonsland, where it had once begun.
In preparation for its new role the activity was renewed and partly given a new orientation. Today Textilmuseet is run by Borås Stad and, together with Borås Museum, forms the cultural-history museums of Borås. The collections include textiles, clothing, machines, handicrafts, art, archives, photographs and film, and depict the products and development of the textile industry from the 1870s to the present day.
Highlights
- Textil Kraft: textile machines running in full operation, showing the way from fibre to finished cloth
- Kläder & Couture about Bröderna Magnussons women’s clothing factory, with installations by paper artist Bea Szenfeld
- Omstart Mode on a circular textile future and how each person can make a difference
- The fitting wardrobe where visitors can try on original garments from the 20th century
- DIY, the museum’s creative space for making textiles
Permanent exhibitions
- Textil Kraft – Basic exhibition on the textile industry in Borås and Sjuhärad from industrialisation to today. The factory with working textile machines shows how cloth is made from fibre to finished weave.
- Kläder & Couture – The exhibition tells how the Paris fashion was reinterpreted as Swedish everyday clothing from 1930 to 1970, with the Borås company Bröderna Magnusson as an example.
- Omstart Mode – The exhibition shows what the fashion industry can do to become sustainable and how consumers can care for their clothes and influence developments.
- Founded
- 1972
- Operated by
- Borås Stad
- Visitors per year
- approx. 53,208
Admission & discounts
| Adults | SEK 80 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | SEK 60Pensioners |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 25 · Children and young people up to and including 25 have free admission. |
| Seniors | SEK 60Pensioners |
| Students & apprentices | freeFree admission on presentation of a student card. |
| Groups | –Booked group tour (about 45 minutes, max 30 people): SEK 1,000 on weekdays 12:00–17:00, SEK 1,500 in the evening and at weekends 12:00–16:00. An admission fee per person is additional. |
| Annual pass | SEK 150 |
Free admission: Free admission for everyone on Thursdays 17:00–19:00.
The ticket is bought at the information desk in Textile Fashion Center and scanned at the museum entrance.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The entrance via Textile Fashion Center is adapted for wheelchairs and has an automatic door opener. There is a lift between the floors and a spacious accessible toilet on each floor. A wheelchair is always available to borrow without booking. Disabled parking is at Skaraborgsvägen 3D and Viskastrandsgatan 1E. Dogs may accompany visitors in the public areas of Textile Fashion Center but not into the museum, except guide and assistance dogs. A preparation booklet with text and pictures can be downloaded from the website.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 25 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
The museum arranges activities for children and families, including during school holidays. The creative space DIY and the fitting wardrobe are open as long as the museum is open. Children and young people up to and including 25 have free admission.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Simonsland
From the Resecentrum it is about a 10-minute walk. From Södra torget, city bus lines 1 and 3 go to the Simonsland stop, which is in front of Textile Fashion Center.
By car
Paid parking
Paid visitor parking in front of Textile Fashion Center (Skaraborgsvägen 3B). More spaces are at Borås Öfvre, Kungsbron behind the University College of Borås, and in the Nybron car park. Coach groups are directed to special places at the college, Kvarngatan, Bäckängsskolan and Engelska skolan.
- Accessible parking
Textilmuseet is in the Simonsland district between central Borås and Knalleland.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
The Company, a restaurant, bar and café, is in Textile Fashion Center next to the museum. The museum shop is at the reception, and the fabric shop På Skrå is just outside the museum entrance.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | An open tour is included in the entrance ticket and is held on Saturdays and Sundays at 14:00 without advance registration; on some weekends it is replaced by a machine demonstration in the exhibition Textil Kraft. Group tours must be booked at least a week in advance via the reception on +46 33 35 89 50 (telephone hours Tuesday–Friday 12:00–16:00) or textilmuseet@boras.se. |
Museums nearby
All 6 museums in Borås All museums in Västra Götaland County
