TXTilecity is a mobile and online platform that highlights the evolving role that textiles have played in shaping Toronto’s urban landscape. You can use this website to access community stories and personal recollections in the form of rich media content – audio and video files – organized on a interactive map of Toronto.

Stories and memories told about specific geographic locations can also be accessed with just a cell phone. As you walk along Toronto streets, keep your eyes open for signs imprinted with the TXTilecity logo. Each has a telephone number on it that anyone can call with a mobile phone to hear about the history and meaning of a location while standing in the exact spot the story takes place.

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Anyone can use TXTilecity whether they are located in Toronto or not. The website is a rich repository of historical, cultural and social information and can be accessed anywhere in the world. City residents and visitors to Toronto can download the mobile app and undertake an interactive walking tour. Teachers may want to use the TXTilecity website to introduce their students to documentary material and then book a facilitated walking tour of the downtown core using mobile platforms through the Textile Museum of Canada. You can call 416-599-5321 or email schoolvisits@textilemuseum.ca for more information or to book a tour for your class.

You can be part of the story and participate in TXTilecity by adding to our collective knowledge of the role textiles have played in shaping the urban landscape. You can submit comments or videos by going to the TXTilecity YouTube site and adding a response. If you would like to submit a video, you need to have an existing or new YouTube account. To make a video response, click the All Comments box located underneath a video's information (the same place you would click to write a comment). A hyperlink on the right of the box called Create a video response will appear — click this link.

Any story that relates to the role textiles have played in the culture and history of Toronto’s urban fabric is ideal for TXTilecity. Stories of people, events, and places are perfect candidates, and these might relate to the fields of theatre, art and design, the garment and fashion industries, specific stores, businesses, and factories, or individuals who have played a role in these histories. All entries will be reviewed and will be deleted if they contain inappropriate content.

If you have questions or comments, send an email to txtilecity@textilemuseum.ca.