What does authenticate really mean? My mobile phone screen is awash with the applications necessary to authenticate my digital life. One code, ideally arbitrary and equally unmemorable to the user, unlocks a second code connected to a known device or biometric data. In stark contrast with digital authentication, consumers of the past would have relied on their sensory knowledge to authenticate textiles. The hand of a textile refers to what can be gleaned through touch, not only the texture but also the weight and drape, even temperature which can differ depending on the fibre content. Through touch, and at times even smell, consumers verified that the cloth in their hands, from the fibres to construction techniques, was indeed as claimed...

forthcoming chapter in Sensing/Touching Virtuality (Bochum: Ruhr-University, 2026)