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.

This is an in-depth 30 minute Lesson from specialty chemicals company Archroma. They are focussed on providing sustainable solutions for the textiles, paper, packaging, adhesives and sealants industries. It is their aim to be the world’s most sustainable speciality chemical company - and wow 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 could not 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.

It is often heard that the process of natural dyeing isn't replicable on a large scale - so we thought we would 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.

We are in constant contact with textiles in our environment – from our clothes, to bedding, to the other fabrics in our home. 

Often, these fabrics are treated or have coatings added to them for added properties – e.g. fire or water resistance – and these treatments may be full of harmful chemicals known to cause cancer and reduce fertility, amongst other health impacts. 

Are you wearing new clothes without washing them? Do you know how to remove formaldehyde from clothing (... yes, there may be cancer-causing formaldehyde in your wardrobe!)

Understanding the chemicals used in clothing manufacturing and the production of textiles is central to the debate around sustainable fashion.

In this webinar, experts from Chemsec discuss the topic and take questions. Find out once and for all the impact your designs are having on the environment and the people who make them, and how to reduce it.

A roundup of essential information from existing lessons Introduction to Regulations and Directives and Regulations and Directives for Toys, Childrenswear and UV Accessories.

Product technologist Sarah Blackham introduces what regulations and directives are, along with highlighting critical chemical tests, laboratories and websites to get you started on material and product testing. 

The ability to make fabrics water resistant - especially for use as garments and outdoor textiles - is crucial to the textile industry. However, as we have already established in our lesson on traditional coatings and finishes, many of these coatings are not without their harmful consequences. 

This lesson will take you through some new, ethical solutions to waterproofing fabrics. 

Flame retardancy is a vital requirement for many textile applications, mainly in upholstery and interiors. So much so, in fact, that legislation was passed in 1998 that mandated for interiors and upholstery fabrics to be treated with flame retardant finishes. These regulations are in place to prevent the safety of the users, of such textiles, and it is important that they are complied with.

However, that does not mean that harmful chemicals need necessarily be used.