Living Colour: dyeing textiles with bacteria

Different initiatives have been launched to experiment with new and cleaner ways to dye fabric: Living Colour is one of them
The Living Colour project experiments with dyeing textiles using bacteria. The latest results were on display at Dutch Design Week, as part of The Future of Living Materials. This is a joint project between ArtEZ Future Makers, Wageningen University & Research and designers.

Fabric deying is one of the most polluting processes in the fashion chain. It uses a lot of water, which is polluted by the dye. The chemicals in the dye are often toxic and end up in our rivers. Different initiatives have been launched to experiment with new and cleaner ways to dye fabric. One of these involves dyeing textiles with bacteria, without any use of chemicals, and with less water. Living Colour is one such initiative that is dedicated to the further development of this technique. Co-founders Laura Luchtman and Ilfa Siebenhaar are designers; for this project, they have teamed up with the likes of bioengineers at Wageningen University. They are currently researching the best conditions for the bacteria to grow in, pigment quality, creating more colours and how to continuously improve the dyeing process.

Interview with Fashion Lector Daniëlle Bruggeman about Fashion and research (in Dutch).