Fashioning Felt

Pernelle Fagerlund

Kathryn Walter


The Cooper Hewitt Meseum in New York is currently hosting a show about the many ways to use felt. The show runs through Sept. 7th, and is organized by Susan Brown, assistant curator, Textiles. The official press release reads, “This exhibition will explore the varied new uses of felt—an ancient material, believed to be one of the earliest techniques for making textiles. Made by matting together wool fibers with humidity and friction, felting requires little technological expertise and is an extremely versatile material. The exhibition will begin with historic examples of felts, showcase innovations in handmade felts, and feature contemporary uses of industrial felt in a range of fields, including product design, fashion, architecture, and home furnishings.”