Abstract: Geotextiles are widely used to reinforce slopes, but they have not yet been effectively applied in heightening projects of soil embankments. The centrifugal model tests are conducted on the elevated soil embankments with geotextile reinforcement under variation of water level. The deformation and failure process of the reinforced embankment are observed and measured. The results indicate that the failure of the elevated soil embankments with geotextile reinforcement exhibits different characteristics between the new and old embankments. The ultimate failure of the elevated embankment is caused by the coupling and progressive development of deformation localization and local failure. The geotextiles are divided into reinforcement section and restraint section. In the restraint section, the embankment provides restraint for the geotextiles, while in the reinforcement section, the geotextiles limit the deformation of the embankment. The reinforcement mechanism of the geotextiles is to transfer the restraint from the deep part of the embankment to its surface, thereby to increase the sliding resistance of the shallow layer of the embankment.