The Prato Textile Museum
Italy’s most important museum dedicated to textile art
The Prato Textile Museum is one of Europe’s leading institutions dedicated to the appreciation of ancient and contemporary textiles.
Established in 1975 within the historic “Tullio Buzzi” Technical Institute to support training activities in the textile sector, since 2003 the Museum has occupied the prestigious restored spaces of the Ex Cimatoria Campolmi, once a textile mill and an important example of industrial archeology in the area.
The first core was formed through the donation of a body of 14ᵗʰ–19ᵗʰ century textiles by entrepreneur-collector Loriano Bertini. Through continuous donations from the Associazione Ex Allievi dell’Istituto tessile, the Associazione Amici del Museo del Tessuto, private and public entities as well as many Prato locals, the collections have grown to the current holdings, now of absolute international significance.
The collection consists of more than 10,000 ancient artifacts, including textiles, garments, accessories and fashion illustrations documenting the history of textiles from the early Christian era to the present day. To this is added a substantial archive of corporate samples from the industrial era, a section devoted to contemporary textiles, as well as textile machinery and tools.
The museum is located in an area that boasts a textile tradition dating back thousands of years and one of the most important textile-clothing production districts in Italy, with over 6,000 enterprises promoted through its cultural activities. This is one of the factors that distinguishes the Museum, rendering it unique on the European scene. Indeed, the collection of contemporary textiles in the Textile Library is an ever-evolving archive, thanks to the contributions of manufacturing companies that provide fabric samples that are always up-to-date, sustainable and technologically advanced. The goal is to engage and educate a broad range of audiences about textile culture, from the general public to more specialized groups.
The permanent exhibition is divided into 6 major thematic areas. The tour opens with the Boiler Room, the ancient Cornish boiler used to produce energy by burning coal then diesel fuel. The tour continues in the oldest room of the entire architectural complex, dedicated to the display of historical collections. The Ancient Textiles room displays a target rotation of the Museum’s collections by theme. The ground floor concludes with the Materials and Processes area, a tactile journey through textile fibers accompanied by explanatory panels, ancient and modern objects, plus videos that recount the main stages of textile processing, ending with a new section dedicated to sustainability in textiles.
The visit then continues to the first floor. Here, the history of Prato’s textile production is traced from its origins in the Prato Città Tessile room (12ᵗʰ century–1950) through its most significant stages. Explore the gore system, the role of the merchant, industrialization and the birth of Prato’s large factories, the regenerated wool cycle, along with military production during times of war. Then continue to the room dedicated to Prato and the Fashion System (1960–2000). Through a large immersive video projection, the space offers further points of reflection on the city’s evolution in recent years, from the birth of the fashion system, product diversification, through to Prato and its relationship with major designers.
Annually, the museum also organizes temporary exhibitions to explore specific aspects of the history of textiles and fashion. The exhibition itinerary, thematic exhibits, educational activities for schools and families, plus recreational-cultural events are the elements by which the Museum pursues its mission of popularizing and disseminating the ancient and contemporary culture of textiles.
For information on accessibility, please visit museodeltessuto.it.
