Mastering Dyes And Finishes

The Society of Dyers and Colourists is the world’s leading independent, educational charity delivering technical colouration expertise. Their mission is to educate the changing world in the science of colour. In this video, they drill down the absolute "must-know" facts when it comes to the world of outsourcing dyeing, dyes to watch out for and how to source responsibly dyed fabrics.

In my opinion, producing designs responsibly comes down to some good old fashioned common sense. When you arm yourself with the knowledge of what makes dyeing unsustainable and understand the irresponsible practices to avoid, you will naturally begin to ask your suppliers the right questions and be able to help those who aren't already, move towards more ethical practices.

We get down to the nitty-gritty and investigate the harmful solvents and chemicals used in the dyeing and finishing processes so that you know the names to watch out for and eliminate in your own production.

Now that we've identified the issues caused by irresponsible dyeing and finishing and the chemicals and solvents to avoid, we take a look at the businesses cleaning up production (my favourite part) and how you can avoid harmful methods yourself.

Archroma is a speciality chemicals company focussed on textiles, paper, packaging, adhesives and sealants. It's their aim to be the world’s most sustainable speciality chemical company - and boy are they doing some seriously amazing stuff! From halving the amount of water needed to dye a t-shirt, to creating a recipe book of over 4000 colours using responsible ingredients - we couldn't have had asked for a better introduction to the world of sustainable dyes on an industrial scale.

Natural dyeing is an ancient practice that has been in decline since the rise of the synthetic dye industry. Flora Arbuthnott is passionate about rediscovering the lost knowledge of natural dyeing. A textile designer and wild plant enthusiast, Flora is an expert in creating colours on cloth using locally available plants. She loves exploring her local environment, getting to know the wild plants that surround her, and seeking out ways to work with them.

I often hear that the process of natural dyeing isn't replicable on a large scale - so we thought we'd do a spot of myth-busting and talk to an inspiring company creating natural dyes in bulk.

Indigenous Industries promotes traditional, sustainable production processes. Founded in 2014, they manufacture fabrics and ready-made clothing for labels and fashion designers worldwide, connecting designers with innovative textiles and ethical processes.

London-based shibori textiles designer and natural dyer, Rob Jones, founded Romor Designs in the autumn of 2015. Rob's love of Shibori, the ancient Japanese art of resist dyeing, took him to Japan to study under the indigo guru, Bryan Whitehead. Today, his passion is finding the new in the old, building on the tradition and centuries of skill that shibori has behind it. He believes in taking work in new directions by combining techniques and inventing his own forms.

“I love pattern and am endlessly fascinated by the way natural dyes move through fabric. Although I determine the form of the patterns I create, I still get excited to see how the dye has moved every time I open a new piece ”

Sofia Ilmonen is a Finnish fashion designer based in London. Alongside her full-time job as a seamstress for Alexander McQueen, Sofia works on her brand, creating highly textural and tactile pieces using natural dyeing and handcraft techniques. Not Just a Label scouted Sofia to be one of the Black Sheep Designers, and her work has also been covered by British Vogue, Vogue Italia, I-D and Garage.

How do you scale production of naturally dyed garments so that they have social, economic, and environmental benefits for all involved? 

We were joined by Raaja Rajan, the Chief of Operations for Natural Dye House, to learn more about the key considerations for scaling natural dyes for fashion.