Dyeing Innovations

CEBU, Philippines - The use of dyes and implementation of various dyeing processes have long been components in the making of clothes, home essentials and fashion accessories.

Since the glory days of Ancient Roman civilization, dyed fabrics have been used in tailoring various garments and attires – the then-highly valued “Tyrian Purple” (a dye color extracted from harvesting thousands of murex sea snails) being one of the most well-known from the time period.

Today, dyes are no longer as complicated to produce as they were in the past, owing to advances in the field of chemistry and the development of fabric coloring/tinting methods.

Does this mean that further advances in developing dyes and dyeing methods have come to a stand-still?

Not necessarily so, as the following “dyeing innovations” would show.

Tobacco-based dyes

Tobacco may be the primary component used in the making of smoking products, but a firm based in North Carolina has been using the crop to develop dyes that can be used to tint fabrics like cotton, silk, wool and even cashmere.

Named Ploughboy Organics, the firm has developed a pigment line of 18 color bases. It has also developed tobacco-based fibers and textiles that’re manufactured under eco-conscientious benchmarks.

Though the tobacco-based dye and fabric have not attained mainstream acclaim, it has earned its share of accolades within eco-conscientious circles for being produced under environment friendly and sustainable production standards.

“Washable dyes” for short-term design cycles, long-term raw material sustainability

The bit in a “removable fabric pigment” is not all that hard to grasp: it’s a type of pigment that’s semi-permanent – a coloring tint that’s intended to sate short-term fashion/designs needs while fulfilling long-term raw material cycles.

Developed by Dutch fashion consultancy firm Refinity, the “removable fabric pigment” can be washed out with a special detergent, then reprinted on the same textile/fabric “base” with a new design.

Set on lessening the volume of refuse clothing, Refinity aims to lessen the proliferation “one off” items with its “removable fabric pigment” – to reduce the number of clothes and fashion items that’re typically discarded after being worn/used once or twice. (FREEMAN)