The Textile Institute was established in Manchester in 1910, initially with nearly two hundred members representing various areas of the textile industry within Britain and internationally. The Textile Institute received a Royal Charter in 1925 and is registered as a charity in England. The Textile Institute continues to act as a membership body for textile professionals and organisations and serves textile-related industries worldwide. As of 2024 The Textile Institute described its role as advancing "the general interests of the textile industry worldwide, more particularly in relation to the acquisition and application of knowledge for the benefit of mankind."

David Brunnschweiler was born in Manchester in 1927 and attended school in Chorlton. Brunnschweiler was a graduate of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. In the course of his career he became an executive of various nonwovens manufacturing companies and industry suppliers, including Cosmopolitan Textiles and NIRI. Brunnschweiler served as the Chairman of The Textiles Institute, as well as chairing the Institute's Diplomas and Publications committees. The University of Leeds recognised Brunnschweiler's expertise, awarding him an honorary doctorate and employing him as a Visiting Professor of Nonwovens.

John William Stanley Hearle (J.W.S. Hearle), was a textile expert, author and editor of books on the subject, including "Polyester: Tomorrow's Ideas & Profits, 50 years of achievement" (1993). Hearle graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1947 and went on to become Professor of Textile Technology, Head of the Department of Textiles, and Dean of the Faculty of Technology at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST).