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In 2015, the University celebrated its 85-th anniversary.

The training of textile specialists started in Russia in 1828 at Saint Petersburg Practical Technological Institute. The original purpose of this institution was to prepare professional staff for cloth manufacture, i. e. textile industry, the institution having been established at the initiative of E.F. Kankrin, the Minister of Finance.

On 28 November, 1828 Emperor Nicholas I addressed the Senate: “willing to contribute to the development and expansion of the cloth manufacture in our Empire, we have made the decision to found Practical Technological Institute in Saint Petersburg’.

A new page – new time, new people, new inventions and achievements - in the history of the textile education opened in Russia in 1917.

‘Taking into account the rapid growth of the country’s industry Presidium of the All-Union Council of National Economy of the USSR adopts the rule of 15 February 1930 on the reorganization of higher education Institutions into industry institutes. Order № 1287 of 26 April 1930 says to establish industry institutes such as chemistry and technology institute, textile institute, machine building institute and boiler-and-turbine institute, on the basis of the existing institutions. The order of 2 June 1930 indicates that a newly-established Leningrad Textile Industry keeps the premises of the Technological Institute until a separate building is equipped.’ The institute moved into its main academic and laboratory building at Bolshaya Morskaya ulitsa 18 on 18 November 1930.

Technological and Economics Faculties became the first ones in the Institute structure which trained spinning engineers, weavers and economists. Among the first university teachers one can mention prof. V.M. Monakhov, associate professors E.A. Sankov and N.P. Rostovtsev, university lecturer A.G. Prokoshev and many others. The first spinning engineers and economists graduated from the Institute in 1935. Many of the first graduates became famous figures in the national economy, one of them being Aleksey N. Kosygin, a prominent statesman and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR between 1964 and 1980.

In 1938, Mechanical and Chemical Faculties were established at the Institute. Their formation was greatly contributed by the invited engineers with significant industrial experience, such as B.I. Mitropolsky, N.M. Dmitriev, P.S. Malevsky-Malevich, chemist A.E. Poray-Koshits and prof. D.N. Griboedov, just to name a few.

At the first stages of the Great Patriotic War, when many of the students and academics were off at the front, the Institute staff kept working and took active part in defensive works in the city suburbs and later in the besieged city itself, thus they made a fair share of contribution to the heroic struggle of Leningraders. To the order of the Leningrad Military District a special chemical laboratory was established at the Institute which worked to meet the front needs. In 1942, at the direction of member of the State Defense Committee A.N. Kosygin students and staff of the Institute were evacuated to Tashkent where they kept working together with their colleagues from Tashkent and Moscow Textile Institutes. During the hard war years of 1942-1944 they for the first time demonstrated fruitful collaboration between scientific schools of different textile institutions. The Institute welcomed the victory already in its native city. Though some people were never to see this happy day and be back home in Leningrad, the memorial plaque with the names of veterans reminds us about those days and heroes.

Teaching staff of the Institute was growing and improving fast due to new students’ efforts and employees who had both vast life and military experience. Buildings were being restored and scientific and laboratory equipment was being installed and adjusted at a swift rate. The department of chemical fibres technology was established in 1945. Operating under the direction of professor A.I. Meos the department soon became one of the leading departments of the Institute. In the early 1950s, the team headed by professor E.S. Roskin made some significant achievements having developed ways to obtain acrylic fibres which were patented in the USSR, Italy, Japan, the USA and France.

Rapid development of clothing, knitting and footwear industry in Leningrad and the Baltic republics led to the establishment of a new clothing and knitting department in 1951 and leather and footwear department in 1961. The establishment of these departments, formation of academic teams and first achievements in the research work are connected with such names as professors M.I. Sukhareva, L.S. Marty and A.S. Shvarts. The Institute profile enhancement, appearance of new departments and specializations led to the name change so Leningrad Technological Institute named after S.M. Kirov became Leningrad Institute of Textile and Light Industry (LITLI) named after S.M. Kirov.

The 1970s became an important landmark in the institution development when considerable scientific, academic and research advances were made. In the period of 1971 and 1979 the scientists of the Institute published more than 250 textbooks, study guides and monographs in state publishing houses, obtained 330 inventor’s certificates and patents and 140 medals of All-union Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy. The team working under professor V.A. Gordeev, the chair of the weaving department, developed the technology of producing high-bulk multilayered woven constructional materials and made new types of woven electrical installation which were awarded with the USSR State Prize.

In 1976, LITLI named after S.M. Kirov heads the list of higher education institutions of its category in the RSFSR and the resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the USSR says that ‘…for the achievements in training specialists for the national economy and conducting important scientific research’ the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR awards the Institute Order of the Red Banner of Labour.

Introduction of new scientific, industrial and academic divisions, opening of new specializations, growth in international liaisons and enhancement of the Institution reputation as a centre for training and preparation of engineers and academic staff for textile and light industry led to the status change and the Institute became Saint Petersburg State University of Technology and Design (SPSUTD) in 1992.

�������Ƶ today is a multi-disciplinary educational complex, which includes 2 higher schools, 18 Institutes and 2 colleges that train specialists in 225 educational programmes in design, engineering, the humanities, economics and pedagogy.