NATURAL DYEING ON BIOBASED MATERIAL

ZERO-WASTE PLANTS-DYED AND BIODEGRADABLE GARMENTS

Student: Meijun Chen (POLIMI)
HEI’s Tutor: Daria Casciani (POLIMI)
Company’s tutor: Myriam Vanneste, Willem Uyttendaele (Centexbel)
Residency duration: 3 months

This project focuses on an experimental research to test, analyse and compare different kinds of natural pigments through dyeing and screen printing techniques on bio-based fabrics. Empirical natural-based recipes were made with indigo, curcumin, anthocyanin, cochineal, phycocyanin, comfrey, and hematoxylin dextrin. Dyeing methods included infrared, ordinary, gradient, dip dyeing, and screen printing. The performances were evaluated through observation and tests to understand color rendering, saturation, and colour fastness. Through the comparison of results, the anthocyanin dye was selected to be applied to the final prototype designed to become an example of a sustainable dress showcasing the possibilities of natural dyes on biobased materials, exploiting the dyed textiles in the lab in terms of dimensions and also considering the end of the life of the garment, applying a zero-waste pattern,and dissolvable threads in order to allow total disassembly and recyclability / biodegradability of the clothing when disposed.

physical-prototype

#Plants dyeing

#Natural colours

#Zero-waste design

#Colour fastness

#Empirical tests

PHOTO GALLERY