A Proud Moment for Textile Education

De Maere Foundation had the privilege of celebrating two remarkable students as winners of the Foundation De Maere Award — one from Saxion Bachelor Fashion & Textile Technologies program and one from the Saxion Master Innovative Textile Development.

Seeing Indy Boll and Amy Kerr receive this recognition felt genuinely special. Throughout their studies, they weren’t just strong performers — they were drivers of the Saxion Textile community. They promoted their programs, challenged the educators, and continuously pushed textile education beyond the expected. “You could feel their energy in the classroom, in projects, and in every conversation about the future of textiles”, according to the selecting jury.

Their final theses were the perfect reflection of that spirit: ambitious, thoughtful, and deeply rooted in innovation. And what makes De Maere Foundation even prouder is knowing that both will continue shaping the textile world in their own way:

• Amy stepping forward as a researcher, preparing for a PhD and contributing to the scientific backbone of our field.
• Indy taking a bold leap as an entrepreneur, turning textile ideas into real impact.

The €1,500 award from Foundation De Maere will give both a meaningful boost as they take their next steps — De Maere Foundation is confident they’ll use it to accelerate their already impressive journeys.

We wish them all the success they deserve!

Handing over the awards together with board members Aisha Talacua and Jurrie Barkel was a moment of genuine pride — a reminder of why we do what we do, and how bright the future of textiles can be when driven by passionate people.