Mutualence - Inspired by nature, for nature

MUTUALENCE A reflection of nature’s collaborative subsistence to address major issues in the fashion industry

Thesis author : Vidisha Goel Thesis advisor : Anastasia Pistofidou

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MUTUALENCE A reflection of nature’s collaborative subsistence to address major issues in the fashion industry

Thesis author : Vidisha Goel Thesis advisor : Anastasia Pistofidou Postgrduate Diploma in Fabricademy : Textile and Technology Academy at Fab Lab, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia June, 2022 Barcelona, Spain

It is imperative to recognise the scale of the pollution caused by the fashion industry and work towards developing sustainable techniques to reduce the industry’s impact.

It is my hope that the techniques explored in this research may be able to contribute towards this goal.

This research aims to investigate different sustainable techniques that can be incorporated into the production of garments to make the fashion industry less toxic and polluting. The main focus has been experimenting with dyeing by using food waste and bacteria to produce different organic patterns and shades. Furthermore, experimenting with non-plastic filaments like GROWLAY to achieve interesting organic forms which can then be inoculated with mycelium to see how designs can be organism-led rather than human-led.

The aim of this research is to attempt to produce non-toxic dyes to tackle synthetic dyeing, which is a major issue in the fashion industry as well as to assess their potential for scaling up and commercial viability. It was discovered that the natural dyeing techniques explored in this paper have some limited capacity for commercial use.

The process involves manual natural dyeing using onion peels and attempt to automate part of the process by using a small scale dyeing machine to assess potential for scaling up. Furthermore, bacterial dyeing with Janthinobacterium Lividum to produce completely non-toxic, chemical-free colour with minimal water usage.

Throughout this research I worked on refining these techniques and modifying natural dyed colours with mordants such as alum. I also worked on creating the optimal environment to allow the bacteria to grow and experimented with achieving different dye patterns through tying the fabric.

ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS Bacteria dyeing Natural dyeing Food waste 3D printing Growlay Mycelium Collaboration Co-existence

The project was undertaken to graduate and receive the Postgraduate Diploma at Fabricademy : Textile and Technology Academy. This thesis is a deliverable for the 6 month course which was combining various techniques like biofabrication, biomimicry and digital fabrication. I studied this course to learn techniques that can be incorporated in the design process and the production of garments because that is the need of the hour.

For my final project for my undergraduate degree I worked on a collection of modular garments with the same ideology in mind, working on that project motivated me study and learn about more techniques and processes like these.

I am interested in exploring various techniques and see how I can implement them in my design process in the future. Starting with an interest in modularity to now working with living organisms it has been a huge learning curve. Not only did I learn various techniques but also visited some amazing material labs for more insight. I am also a part of a project which is in collaboration with CERN and explores future technologies in sustainble fashion.

Working on this project taught me so many things, many even towards the end, and motivated me to keep continuing these concepts and techniques and use them in the best ways possible to achieve eco-friendly alternatives.

PREFACE

Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitutde to my mentor, Anastasia Pistofidou, for her unmatched support and motivation, for helping me at every step of the way and helping me make every idea come to life, for providing such constructive inputs and positive energy through her unmatched dedication and most importantly for inspiring me to do better each day.

Secondly, I would like to thank Maud Basier for her constant support for every small thing, for constant feedbacks and recommendations for making things work.

I would also like to thank Josep Marti for his patience and dedication, for listening to and solving even the smallest of issues that would rise from day to day, for teaching us how to use every machine with so much patience and helping us find a solution to every problem.

Lastly, I would like to thank my family and friends for their support and encouragement throughtout the entire course of this project.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Abstract Preface Acknowledgements Index Introduction Toxic Synthetic Dyeing Overview Impacts Water woes Symbiosis in Nature Mychorrizae Rhizobacteria Interdependence Bioremediation State of the Art Bacterial Dyeing Co-existence Working with living organisms Natural Dyeing with Food Waste Zero waste natural dyeing journey Dyeing with onion peels Process Dyeing at EURECAT (Scaling up) Bacterial Dyeing with Janthinobacterium Lividum Growing bacteria Dyeing textile Scaling up Organic patterns 3D Printing with GROWLAY GROWLAY Sampling Limitations with GROWLAY Printing and Moulding PLA Assembling Final Prototypes Conclusion References

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INDEX

This project explores various methods that can be implemented in the production of garments to make the process less harmful for the environment. These processes are inspired by natural symbiotic relationships found in nature, such as those which exist between plant roots and mycelium as well as between plants and bacteria, and how they coexist to make survival possible for each other. The different processes in this project aim to tackle one of the very prominent and most harmful issues caused by the fashion industry - synthetic dyeing. The fashion industry is responsible for over 20% of all water pollution. Untreated water laden with residual dyes, hazardous chemicals, heavy metals, microfibres, and mordants is dumped into the rivers and seas having an immense detrimental impact on all life. It is hoped that the processes explored in this paper may help to contribute towards a cleaner, safer and more sustainable industry.

Due to the experimental approach taken and lack of a fully equipped laboratory, the work presented here focuses predominantly on the viability of these techniques as they might be used by smaller, independent designs seeking to achieve a sustainable business model in fashion. That being said, efforts were made to assess the potential for scaling these processes up with the idea in mind that they could potentially one day be applied to larger production, though still not on the level of modern fast fashion companies whose principles are antithetical to those employed here.

Firstly, the project explores the process of dyeing with discarded onion peels to achieve bright shades of yellow and also investigates how the process can be made viable for larger scale production. Natural dyeing doesn’t involve the use of any chemicals and produces a biodegradable dye which does not harm our water bodies by filling them with synthetic chemicals and microplastics. It also explores how different shades can be achieved by using different mordants and how the colour can be made more long lasting. To see how it can be scaled up, the process is tested in a small-scale industrial machine which, although showing some potential for upscaling, also demonstrates some limitations.

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Furthermore, the research continues to experiment with another non-toxic dyeing process which is bacterial dyeing. By using Janthinobacterium Lividum which produces a deep purple colour, the project explores how bacterial pigments can be used to dye fabrics through a completely non-toxic, water free dyeing process and how it can be scaled up to be a potential alternative to synthetic dyeing. It also reveals the different patterns that can be achieved by using different tie and dye techniques to study growth patterns of the bacteria and to what extent they can be studied and controlled.

The final step of experimentation is with a biodegradable filament, GROWLAY, which has capillary properties and enables growth of plants and organisms by absorbing nutrients and water into the fibre itself thus creating a fertile environment. To incorporate different fabrication techniques while keeping sustainability in mind, this research experiments with 3D printing with GROWLAY, a cellulosic filament, that is then inoculated with microorganisms like fungi/ mycelium to achieve interesting organic forms and textures. All the patterns and silhouettes used in the design stage have drawn inspiration from one of the end products of these symbiotic networks which is mushrooms.

All in all this research draws inspiration from symbiotic organisms and centres organism-led processes and forms, the idea being for the surface aesthetic to reflect the principles underpinning the design. In doing so, it is intended that the garments themselves can assist in promoting these concepts through being worn and seen. As they reflect the principles of their design, so too the issues at hand.

INTRODUCTION 13

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TOXIC SYNTHETIC DYEING

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Synthetic Dyeing Overview Colour comes before everything. Before we touch a garment, check its texture, style and fit it is colour that we see first. Colour gives us a means to express ourselves and we, without exception, adorn our homes and bodies with it.

Before the discovery of synthetic dyeing methods in 1856, all dyes were developed from natural substances found in the world around us. People were creative and made use of everything from flowers, wood, bark and fruits to minerals, spices and insects. Relying as they do on the immense variability of mother nature, these dyes would often vary themselves in shade and intensity. This contrasts with the later developed synthetic dyes which are regulated with computers and computer colour matching (CCM), allowing the creation of identical dyes every time.

Most synthetic dyes can be divided into two groups – Azo dyes and anthraquinone. Azo dyes typically cover the warmer colour spectrum of yellow, orange and red whereas anthraquinone is employed for blues and greens.

Synthetic dyes have now come to almost entirely dominate the fashion industry, aided by their incredible resilience to washing, colourfastness, ease of mass production and, perhaps most significantly, lower cost. Today thousands of types of such dyes are produced.

And yet it seems what we have saved in money we have paid in damage to the world we live in.

The fashion industry alone now accounts for 20% of the all water pollution, not to mention the damaging and irresponsible practice of dumping toxic by-products from the dyeing process into our rivers and seas. Continuing in this way, humanity will end up a vibrant splash of colour in a drab and dead world.

The textile industry is an immense global operation that turns over more than 1 trillion dollars annually and employs over 30 million people around the world. Yet it also causes an immense strain on the world, in particular its rapacious water consumption it requires in the washing, dyeing and bleaching processes.

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Different types of synthetic dyes

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Effects of dye effluents

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Impacts The environmental impacts of the textile industry are numerous and varied. Large amounts of particulates and dust are released during the manufacturing processes as well as certain more volatile compounds such as sulphur. There are also solid waste products such as the leftover scraps from organic and inorganic fabrics. On the micro level, excessive amounts of heavy metals, organic matter, microplastics and flourishing pathogens can be found.

Many factories involved in textile production, when faced with the question of how to dispose of the toxic wastewater remaining from production and with a lack of strong regulation, often dump the water into the nearest available body of water. The effect is that flowing through many rivers around the world is a thick, viscous sludge that poisons the environment and slowly seeps into the soil and groundwater.

A large number of the chemicals used in the textile industry represent a significant threat to ecosystems around the world and not only those directly found in and around bodies of water. All life on Earth is ultimately tied to water and a disruption in this delicate chain in one place has a ripple-effect on broader ecosystems further afield.

When we speak of ecosystems, it’s important we don’t view ourselves as somehow removed from their effects and damage. Heavy metals dumped into the environment have been shown to be found entering our food chain via irrigation of crops. Microplastics have now been discovered in every habitat on Earth, including freshly falling snow in Antarctica, and inside the lungs of every human.

Though the extent of the risk posed by microplastics is still a matter of developing and deeply concerning research, the health effects of heavy metals are already well documented. Exposure to them raises the risk of a broad spectrum of acute illnesses including cancer, amongst them mercury and cadmium have been identified as some of the most dangerous. Though such heavy metals are strictly regulated in parts of the world, the use of them in even one region of the world is a serious threat to global health.

The properties which make synthetic dyes so desirable in the first place is also what makes them so pernicious and allows them to last stubbornly in the environment. Their resistance to light, temperature and detergents means that it can take decades for them to break down naturally.

As global demand for fast fashion continues to grow unrelentingly and combines with the general inefficiency and wastefulness of the dyeing process, the textile industry now represents one of the biggest and most harmful polluters in the world.

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Water woes Water is the lifeblood of our planet, the rivers and seas its veins and arteries. Just as well as they circulate minerals and nutrients creating the fertile conditions required for the abundant life found across the world, so too can they carry these new poisons to the most remote places with grim efficacy.

A report by the World Bank, 2019, discovered that studies have shown the textile industry alone to contribute around 20% of all global water pollution, the majority of which comes from the bleaching and dyeing methods used. The remaining contaminated water, which even if treated continues to contain dangerous levels of heavy metals and toxic compounds, sooner or later finds its way back into the ecosystem where it wreaks havoc on aquatic flora and fauna.

Perhaps one of the textile industry’s most damaging materials is cotton. Cotton production requires an immense amount of water, as much as 20,000 litres to produce just one T-shirt and pair of jeans. Furthermore, due to the relative fragility of the crop, more pesticides are employed in its cultivation than any other crop.

A serious challenge posed by climate change and which is likely to become more serious as the planet warms is the issue of the supply of fresh water. A changing climate is already the cause of increases in drought and unpredictable rainfalls affecting millions globally. Adding to this is the fashion industry’s immense waste of fresh water supplies. Estimates on the fashion industry’s water usage are around 93 billion cubic metres of water annually.

The production of a pair of cotton jeans demonstrates the scale of this problem. Beginning with the cultivation of the cotton, then the dyeing process to impart the blue colour into the fabric which necessitates the repeated dunking of the jeans into synthetic dyes. After, a post-treatment process which adds texture and softens the fabric to improve wearability. Altogether, the UN estimates 7,500 litres of water are required to produce just a single pair of blue jeans.

This is merely one example from an industry mired in immense waste and toxic substances. As Ma Jun, an environmentalist from China, says:

“We know that the fashion lau

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n industry needs to highlight new colours every season. Every time a new colour is unched, more and new types of chemicals, dyes, pigments and catalysts are used.”

Words by: Paulina Kulczycki Via: Sanvt Journal - The evironment impact of dyes in fashion

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SYMBIOSIS IN NATURE 23

THE OTHER WORLD WIDE WEB

Mychorrizae - The symbiotic relationshio between plants and fungi

Underneath the ground lies a strange hidden world. Here is the realm of mycorrhiza, fungal roots that form a symbiotic relationship with the plants they share the soil with. Many of these mycorrhizae are obligate symbiotes, that is, they cannot survive without forming this symbiotic relationship wherein the fungus brings up nutrients from the soil passing them to the plant in return receiving vital carbon that they otherwise struggle to or simply cannot produce themselves.

Because their rots and are thinner than those of plants and so can more easily and widely spread through the soil, the mycorrhizae are able to come in contact with a much greater volume of soil.

Their roots, formed of a network of mycelium, extends deep into the soil bringing up nutrients otherwise barely accessible for other plants and delivering them to the host.

Some nutrients, phosphorous for example, exist in the soil in an insoluble form. This insolubility makes them all but inaccessible for many plants and its deficiency can cause sickness in plants.

Those plants which do have a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhiza are however able to access phosphorous through the fungus as well as other nutrient sources which would normally be impossible for them to obtain.

The usefulness of mycorrhiza symbiotic relationships with plants doesn’t end simply with the transference of nutrients. Plants with such a relationship are healthier and show a great resilience to extremes of temperature or adverse conditions such as increases in soil acidity or salinity.

Because mycelium connect one plant to another via their roots, plants have even been found to have a kind of communication with one another by imparting information regarding threats such as pests or the availability of nutrients.

Considering their importance for the health of plants, soil management is also important. Certain practices may diminish the quantity of fungi found in the soil in an area and thus negatively impact all plants in an area. Maintaining the right balance to allow fungi and plants alike to flourish is key.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal infection of a medicinal plant root stained with 0.05% Aniline blue – note vesicle (photo by Karen Cloete)

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Roots showing spore produced outside of root (photo by Karen Cloete)

Rhizobacteria - Bacteria in a symbiotic relationship with plants As well as the symbiotic relationship found between plants and mycorrhizal fungi, many other symbiotic relationships are also present in the soil. One of these is the relationship between microbes of the phytomicrobiome which are in all plant tissues. The relationship between these microbes and their plant hosts is akin to that between humans and the bacteria found in the gut.

As the plant supplies the bacteria dwelling on them with metabolites, so too the bacteria provide their hosts with a number of different benefits and services.

These bacteria play an especially important role in agriculture assisting in the promotion of a healthy microbiome wherein the bacteria that flourish there help plants with accessing nutrients, improve the overall qualities and textures of the soil, transmit signal compounds and more all of which contribute to healthier and more thriving plant growth.

Some research has shown the presence of such bacteria in the soil or treating plants with microbial signal compounds can help to promote the growth of crops. Similarly to the effects on plants that mycorrhiza can have, they also help with plant resilience to temperature fluctuations and salinity.

One possible benefit of rhizobacteria in agriculture is their potential to reduce dependence on toxic pesticides which, though effective in the short run, cause increasingly levels of harm to consumers and the ecosystem as they accumulate.

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Interdependence These naturally exisitng relationships really inspired me on a personal level because I have witnessed such reltionships amongst humans as well. I have grown up in a family of 28 people and the core values that I have learnt are similar to what we see among these natural beings. Nature teaches humans so many things like here it tells us how Co-existence, Co-operation and Interdependnce is the only way forward. Since I was a child I have seen this spirit of mutual existence, the spirit of helping each other at every step of the way that has made 28 people living together under one roof possible. From one generation to another, very concrete values have been passed down to make each one realise the importance and benefits of living in a community and how following that path has helped the family thrive.

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Bioremediation

Shades of yellow Onion peels Natural dyeing

Plants

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Mycelium and microorganisms play a central and overlooked role in the lifecycle of the planet, breaking down matter and pollutants so that new life can emerge. These principles underpin not only the philosophy of the garments but also their forms. Through techniques that make use of these organisms and forms that are inspired from one of the end product, this collection aims to make use of various sustainable processes of production mainly textile dyeing to help move to a safer production cycle and a better future for fashion.

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Shade

Jnathinobact

Bacteri

Bac

es of blue

3D printed organic forms

terium Lividum

ial dyeing

cteria

Inocluating GROWLAY with mycelium Mycelium

Fungi

What if we get inspried from this natural relationship which has existed since the beginning of life on Earth, before we knew what these terms and phenomenas meant and make use of organisms around us to give back to nature and/or cause less harm to it. A collection which celebrates this relationship and the techniques that result in non-toxic organic shades and forms.

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STATE OF THE ART Bacterial dyeing, Co-existence

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DESIGN TO FADE LIVING COLOUR X PUMA The very first bacterial dyed sports collection.

This is back in 2016, when PUMA was interested in bio-design and the two designers from living colour gave them their very first bacterila dyed collection using deadstock fabrics and dyeing them with bacteria.

They were inspired by the Redbacked Salamander.

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ASSEMBLAGE 002 FABER FUTURES PROF. JOHN WARD

Assemblage 002 is a reversible silk coat. The reseahc behing this collection was the calibrate the growth patterns of the bacteria by experimenting with diffrerent environments. These are now replicable to an extent.

They say ‘ No two garments will ever be the same, but we can begin to build coherence over the aesthetic experience of a collection.’

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MUTUALIST NATURE PAULA ULARGUI ESCALONA A research into making mycelium grow on fabrics and make a garment out of it. After experimenting with various species of mushrooms and different substrates this garment is made out of oyster mushrooms, a very resistant and strong mushroom, grown on natural fibres without the use of cal.

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GROWING DESIGN DR. SERENA CAMERE DR. ELVIN KARANA A research on working with materials that are grown using living organisms. To research on how they could be explored in product design. The viability of such materials is tested for different properties such as rigidity, water absorbing and repeliing properties.

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COLORIFIX

Founded by two bioligists who produce pigments by engineering DNA of microorganisms to achieve the exact colour that is found in nature, which is then fermented and grown into a larger batch and then be used as a normal dye and be used in a dyeing machine.

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BIOMIMETICS FOR DESIGNERS A best selling book by Veronika Kapsali which explores the importance of biomimetics – imitating life’s natural processes.

There are limitless examples of the how nature solves complex behvaiours by using simple processes in a clever way. This book presents many examples, showing each natural phenomenon alongside its application, with an accessible explanation of the biology and the story of the design 37

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N A T UD RY A EL I N D GY EWI N I TGH F Owith O DFood W AWaste STE 39

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Colour is everywhere and we can extract it from every other natural thing. Pigments have been extracted from nature since thousands of years to dye yarn, fleece, clothing and household textiles. These dyes and the entire process doesn’t involve the use of any chemicals and causes no harm to the enivronement. These colours being natural do not disrupt nature’s cycle in any way even after use. Just step out into your garden and you can see every thing present has a colour and most give us the ability to extract colour from them. From flowers like hibiscus which gives us different shades of purple to marigold and turmeric which give such different shades of yellow, the possibilites are endless. These colours can be modified to an extent by using modifiers which are some salts or liquids that are produced from other natural ingredients like vinegar.

Another very common source to extract dyes from is food waste. Using food waste is one of the best alternatives to shift to, to reduce the harmful effects of synthetic dyeing. This is a completely circular cycle where you can reuse all the waste that is being generated to utilise everything that you are using in a sustainable and productive way. Fruits and vegetables are great sources of natural dyes because they contain flavonoids, tannic acid, and ellagitannin—all categorized as “polyphenols”—that create their rich colors and can stain clothes. Foods that are rich in tannins are best for natural dyes. Most result in pale hues, but the color gets stronger the longer you leave the fabric submerged. Note that sometimes the pit of a fruit creates a different color than the skin, such is the case with avocado.

These dyes can be used to make different colouring agents such as inks, pigments or dyes. It is a step by step process where you start with mkaing dye bath which can be used to dye yarn or fabric then by boiling it down to a thicker concentrate and letting it dry to make a pigment which can then be mixed with alcohol to make ink. These colours can be used for any dyeing/printing technique like synthetically made dyes. A few of the different colours that can be achieved from various food wastes are given on the right .

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Colours obtained from different food waste (Diagram from an article on Architectural Digest - Clever - How to naturally dye using foods)

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Zero waste colour journery

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flowchart from Bioshades.bio

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Dyeing with onion peels For this reseatrch I dyed with waste onion peels because I wanted to achieve shades of yellow.

Onion peels are rich in tannins which improve and enhance the strength of the mordants, increasing in return the light and wash-fastness of the dyed fabrics, they can also have an effect on the final colour the dyed fabric which means that it doesn’t even require a binder or fixative.

Onion dye can also be used to other dye baths to make the colour brighter.

Golden and red onion skins give different shades and colours. Golden skins mostly give colours starting from yellow to orange to brown and red onion skins give colours from pale pink to green. You can achieve a range of shades of each by adding different mordants or by using modifiers. The pH also plays an important role in the shade. This is the beauty about natural dyes that you cannot aim to achieve the exact same shade everytime, its organic and unpredictable like nature. Small changes in the environemnt like its growing conditions, pH of the water and the quantities of mordants/modifiers added to them can make a huge difference in the shade of the dye. Another factor which really affects the colour is the type of fibre. All fibres absorb dye differently, natural fibres absorb the dye very well much better than synthetic fibres, but they would all be still different shades. Animal fibre like silk absorbs colour very well and gives a deep hue, cotton absrobs it well too but is not as deep as silk. I decided to use 100% silk for this research so I worked with silk organza and silk crepe.

There is a lot to experiment whe it comes to natural dyes to achieve brighter and deeper shades.

The quantity of the dyestuff, the longer its left in the dye bath the deeper the colour. Then while dyeing, the longer the fibres are left in the dyebath the better..

The process of natural dyeing is simple but there are certain factors that one should keep in mind if we are aiming for a specific colour. If you plan to use this process frequently it’s good to measure some values before you start to get a better understanding on the varying shades and the changes due to pH, concentration, mordant/modifier quantity and fibre weight because these are natural products and very receptive to minor changes. To start with it’s good to measure the WOF(Weight Of Fibre), the weight of the dyestuff in this case onion peels and the pH once the dye is ready to see how acidic or basic it is (the acidity can be reduced by diluting the dye with water).

This process occurs in six steps: • Making the dye • Scouring • Mordanting • Dyeing • Rinsing • Recycling

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Making the dye • • • • •

Fill a pot with about three times as much water as skins. The skins should float freely. Make sure that there is enough water for the fabric or fiber also to float freely once you add it later.

Bring the bath to a boil. Turn it down and simmer the skins in the water for an hour.

More prolonged boiling will release more dye, but only to a point.

You can leave the peels in overnight to get a little stronger colour.

Strain the peels out keep them in the dehydrator to dry, they can be used again. They might give the same intensity of colour but they can definitely be used again to make more dye. olour. Then while dyeing, the longer the fibres are left in the dyebath the better it is for you.

Scouring The next step is to clean your fibres. Newly bought fabric has a quoting to prevent them from getting too dirty which is supposed to be washed off, it prevents the fibres from absorbing the dye.

• Boil enough water in a medium size pot. Just enough to cover your fibers.

• Introduce 2% of WOF of Sodium Carbonate (Soda ash).

• Mix thoroughly until dissolved.

• Introduce your fibers to the hot pots and simmer for 1 hour.

• Move your fibers around every once in a while. Do not let the fibers sit. This will avoid having uneven color and help you get nice even results • Remove and wash with cold water.

Mordanting This step has two ways, you can either add the mordant to the dyebath or you can mordant your fibres after scouring by adding the mordant to the dye.

• I took 15% of WOF of Alum (can take upto 25%) and added it to the dye bath.

• While mordanting the fibres add the mordant to water and simmer, then add the fibres and simmer for 30 minutes Note: During the course of this project I learnt that the higher the amount of mordant the deeper and brighter the colour is. For instance for the first batch I added 15% of WOF to approximately 2 litres of water and the dye instantly changed from a orangish brown to a bright yellow and it dyed a very bright yellow. For the next batch the dye was more dilute and the addition of Alum did not change it’s colour drastically.

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Dyeing at EURECAT (Scaling up) To test the potential and viability of scaling up with a naturally made dye I worked at Eurecat’s Technology Centre where I got the opportunity to use a small scale dyeing machine, the Mathis LABOMAT type <<BFA>. This is an exhaust dyeing machine which can be used to beaker dye woven and knitted fabrics, yarns and loose material. It is also used for carrying out washability checks.

It has two types of beakers that can be used to dye fabrics. One is a set of 500mL beakers which is mostly used to carry out washability checks and other tests and the other is a large beaker which can carry upto 5 kgs during the dyeing process. I used the large beaker to dye 4 metres of silk crepe in 2 batches. Once the dye was ready I added 15% of WOF of Alum to the beaker and mixed it well. Then added 2 metres of fabric to the beaker, this left some space for the fabric to move freely.

To start the dyeing you fix the beaker in the machine and select a program out of the various programs in the machine. The programs work at different temperatures and duration. I selected the program which runs for 4 hours at 21 degrees celsius which would give it enough time to soak in all the colour. Four hours is a long duration but because the temperature in this machine cannot go very high it’s required to let the fabric be sumerged in the dyebath for longer. The beaker rotates constantly to let the dye reach every part of the fabric and obtain an even spread of colour.

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After the program was done I took it out and rinsed it. It took 3 rinses for it stop releasing a lot of colour but the results were very satisfactory. The fabric had taken the colour beautifully and it was spread evenly all over. These results prove that natural dyes can be easily scaled up by following the entire process carefully, and the addition of mordants would make it less light-fast too. Below is a picture of the fabric freshly dyed and rinsed.

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Dyeing Manually - Recycling To dye more fabric I reused the dye I had left from Eurecat by boiling it down a little to get a more concentrated solution. The process is • Bring the dye to simmer a • Add the fabric • Keep moving the fabric to achieve an even colour • Do not boil the dye, just simmer the entire time.

• Do this for one hour and for a stronger colour leave it in the dye overnight after turning off the heat.

• Rinse with fresh water This is a simple process but it is tricky to get an even colour. The fabric needs to be moved constantly so colour reaches all parts of it which is not feasible here. The colour was much lighter than before because it had already been used and not evenly spread too. There were patches with a draker shade in the middle but not very prominent.

Results From the two batches of dyeing I achieved different colours. The first was a bright yellow because of higher quantities of Alum and the second was organish brown where the Alum quantity was less than before. Over time I also observed how pH sensitive it was because these dyed fabrics were then incoluated with bacteria to dye them purple. Due to pouring LB broth over them which is nutrient for the bacteria it changed its shade drastically, became more dull and brownish.

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BACTERIA DYEING with Janthinobacterium Lividum 52

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Bacterial dyes have a possibilty to be an alternative to toxic synthetic dyes. The pigments produced by some bacteria are biodegrdable, completely non-toxic, human and environment friendly. There is a lot of research being done on this and many companies are already working with bacteria and working on how it could be scaled up and used commercially as well. Additionally a lot of research is being done on how their growth patterns can be monitored and controlled to achieve the patterns we desire by subjecting them to sound frequencies for example.

Using bacteria dye has a lot of advantages. Firstly the process uses no toxic chemicals, very little water as compared to the other dyeing process, low temperatures and could add beneficial characteristics like an anti-bacterial function to fabrics For this project I decided to use Janthinobacterium Lividum and combine them with natural dyes to make a very organic collection. Through bacterial dyeing I wanted to achieve very organic patterns and not control their growith to see how the garments can be more organism-led than human-led. The aim was to use all these microrganisms and plants to create a project very close to nature and inspired by nature, which is aesthetic but also socially and environmentally responsible.

The process is a very meticulous one because the slightest of exposure can cause contamination and disrupt their growth. The first step was to put bacteria, in this case Janthinobacterium Lividum to grow. Janthinobacterium lividum is an aerobic, Gram-negative, soil-dwelling bacterium that has a distinctive dark-violet (almost black) color, due to a compound called violacein, which is produced when glycerol is metabolized as a carbon source. Violacein has antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Its antifungal properties are of particular interest, since J. lividum is found on the skin of certain amphibians, including the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus), where it prevents infection by the devastating chytrid fungus. Bacteria survive through freezing and keeping them at minus 80 degrees, at this temperature they go into hibernation at this temperatyre. To start growing them again we wake them up through this method.

Steps to follow¶ PREPARARATION OF NUTRIENT AGAR¶ • • • • •

Take the 500 ml bottle and fill it up to 250 ml with (distilled if available) water Dissolve 5 gr of nutrient agar (dosage is 20gr / liter) Add 0,5 ml of glycerine with a pipette Close the bottle with the cap and gently mix a little bit Unscrew the cap a little bit so that it’s not sealed

PREPARARATION OF NUTRIENT BROTH¶ • • • • •

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Take the 500 ml bottle and fill it up to 250 ml with (distilled if available) water Dissolve 6,75 gr of nutrient broth (dosage is 25gr / liter) Add 0,5 ml of glycerine with a pipette Close the bottle with the cap and gently mix a little bit Unscrew the cap a little bit so that it’s not sealed

STERILISE¶ • Sterilize with the pressure cooker • Add ±1 liter water in the pressure cooker (as reference: less than in the liquid in the bottle you are sterilizing) • Put some petridishes in an autoclave bag and the bottles in the pressure cooker (with the cap slightly unscrewed) PREPARING THE PETRI DISHES¶ • Prepare the petri dishes by writing all the information on the back (medium, bacteria name, date and person) • Poor some alcohol on the table and sterilize area • Place the camping fire next to the sterile area and turn it on • Unscrew the bottle’s cap and sterilize the edge of the neck of the bottle on the fire • Quickly open the petri dish and poor in a layer (a couple of mm) of nutrient agar in some and nutrient broth in some • Let it rest until firm/cooled down THE INOCULATION • Poor some alcohol on the table and sterilyze area • Place the camping fire next to the sterile area and turn it on • Take your tubes with the frozen bacteria • Take the metal inoculation loop and sterilize it by passing it onto the flame (if plastic skip the sterilizing) • With quick and carefull movements: • Open slightly the cap of the dish with the bacteria • Dip the still warm inoculation loop in the medium next to the bacteria (not on bacteria) • Now swipe gently over the bacteria • Transfer bacteria on the new petri dish (or on the textile) • (TIP: always open both the petridishes on the flame/sterile side) • Now seal the petridish with some Parafilm tape ¶ • Now that petri dishes have been inoculated they need to be stored at around 23-26 degrees celsius in an incubator or similar.

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BACTERIA DYEING TEXTILE This was the first attempt so I dyed with small samples to get more acquanited with the process and to see how exactly it grows, what patterns it grows in and how I can achieve different patterns by tyeing it differently. Bacteria grows very well on organic fibres, much better than synthetic fibres. The fabrics were already washed and dyed so they needn’t be prepared again. For bacteria dyeing it takes almost 5 days for the bacteria to grow on the fabrics, if it doesn’t grow till then then it’s probably contaminated or if its growing but the fabric seems dry then it’s possible to pour more broth to provide more nutrient for the bacteria to grow. The above way is not the ideal way to place the fabrics, they should be placed in bigger petridishes and not cylindrical jars and one piece of fabric in one dish is better rather than placing 2-3 different pieces, it is more prone to contamination this way.

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• • • • • • • • • • •

For this project I have only used 100% silk fibres, fabnrics like silk crepe and silk organza.

I prepared my fabric through scouring, the fibres tend to absorb the colour better then. Also 250mL of nutrient broth.

For the first experiment I wanted to observe how it grows and what different tieing techniques result in. For the first experiment I used small sizes of fabric and tied them randomly, tieing them tighter with the thread at some areas and loosely at some places Arranged my tied pieces in petri dishes and cylindrical jars Sterilised everything for 20 minutes in the pressure cooker Prepared a sterile environment using ethanol and camping fire Once they’re sterlised I waited for around 30 mins for the nutrient broth to cool down.

Once it has cooled down I poured the broth very carefully over the fabric pieces, making sure they’re all damp with the broth.

Then I started inoculating each piece with the bacteria from agar plates carefully, trying to put bacteria at close distances and covering every side of the fabric.

Repeated the same for all pieces.

Once they’re all done sealed all the petri dishes with parafilm tape and placed them in the 57 incubator to grow.

The next step was to dye bigger pieces in bigger petridishes to start dyeing my final patterns and to see patterns more evidently. For this, I pleated the fabric meticulously to make the fabric compact so it’s possible to fit it in the petridish. There are a lot of ways of doing that, by using different tie and dye techniques like shibori. I tried different tyeing techniques but I also wanted to see what organic patterns can be achieved. Rather than directing the microorganism to grow in a certain way this project glorifies organic patterns which are organism led. This is also an experiment to see how bacterial dyeing can be scaled up and bigger dyed pieces can be achieved.

Another way of dyeing bigger and evenspread pieces is by growing liquid culture of the bacteria which facilitates better and wider growth of the bacteria. This helps us treat the bacterial ink as a dye and be used to achieve patterns exactly as you would with a normal dye.

Bacterial dyeing uses hardly any water and no toxic chemicals. To make the colour more durable its better to always prepare your fabric by the scouring process and even with tannins so the fibres accept the colour better. If worked with ethically and with care this process can be commercialised to an extent and help us reduce the harmful effects syntheitc dyeing has been causing since decades.

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Below are pictures of freshly bacteria dyed fabrics,we can see how different the spread of colour is. These are organic processes which can only be controlled to a certain extent but in the end its nature. No two organisms are the same just like human beings, each has its unique properties and ideal growth conditions. they can be categorised under one specific category but they would still have different behaviours and produce different results. These two fabrics grow like this in 5 days, the bacteria grew very well and produced a very deep purple colour. These fabrics were first dyed yellow with onion peels.

I observed very contradictory and confusing results by dyeing first with onion peels and then bacteria. The first few samples which were dyed from a recycled dyebath of onion peels and resulted in a lighter shades of yellow dyed very well with bacteria like the samples you see below.

The next samples which were freshly dyed with a new dyebath and dyed a very deep yellow did not do so well with the bacteria. The bacteria hardly grew. It was propbably because of the tannins in onion, the acidity of the dyebath and the percentage of alum. The first samples had less percantages of all because it was a recycled dye and not very concentrated. This part is still a work in progress, why and which dyes can work best with bacteria. Which properties affects its growth the most and how it can be modified to achieve better results.

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These are the results of the bacterial dyeing. Very organic patterns which have given us such interesting and beautiful patterns. Further steps for this research is to see how these can be more cleaner and replicated and how patterns can be achieved too.

What I learnt from working with bacteria all this time was that there are a lot of things affecting the gowth of the bacteria. In my case they grew well in the beginning but when trying with onion dyed fabrics probably the tannins, its acidity or alum in the onion bath were prohibiting its growth and also the entire natural dyeing process contaminates the fabric a lot but that can be managed by sterilising it for a long period of time - 1 to 2 hours. Also the fact that with time the bacteria gets old and doesn’t grow very well. The conditions in the incubator can affect its growth too, like the presence of other organisms. Or some other organisms can grow in place too, it takes time to learn how to take care of these wonderful microorganisms.

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3D PRINTING with GROWLAY 63

GROWLAY A microcapillary filament, capable of absorbing water, seeds and substrate.

Within this material there are two options with certain variations in properties: • •

Brown Growlay White Growlay

Brown Growlay The basis of functioning of the GROWLAY brown is the ability to serve as a means of growth to vegetables through its porosity and microcapillaries that form the material. A piece made with a 3D FDM printer and the brown GROWLAY filament is capable of absorbing water, liquid fertilizer or any nutrient that will be key to feeding the root of the vegetable that you want to grow.

The brown GROWLAY, apart from containing porosity, incorporates natural cellular material derived from the wood that serves as food for every vegetable element that is inserted in the piece. Following is a series of applications of this material: White Growlay Unlike brown Growlay, white Growlay is an experimental grade material, recommended for advanced users who have previously used brown Growlay.

White Growlay is a biodegradable and compostable material, as it can decompose in less than 90 days without leaving toxic residues, turning into useful matter (compost). Like the brown Growlay, the white Growlay is made up of microcapillaries. Thus, it is able to absorb water, liquid fertiliser or any nutrient that will be key for the root nutrition of the plant you want to grow.

In terms of composition, the most striking difference between brown Growlay and white Growlay is that the latter does not contain any wood particles in its composition. Consequently, white Growlay has a lower tensile strength, as well as a lower stiffness, which makes it more difficult to print.

For certain applications, it is very useful to differentiate between the different pieces printed with Growlay. Both Growlay brown and Growlay white can be dyed with food dyes, although the resulting colours will be much more saturated in white.

Research centers, pharmaceutical centers or even creative chefs benefit from this filament thanks to the fact that it can be sterilized by a liquid or gas process, never thermal. This great advantage makes GROWLAY brown a filament able to grow food in a healthy way for consumption, something never seen before in 3D FDM printing.

The reason behind using this filament was to experiment with biodegrdable filaments and how 3D printing can be done without the use of plastic filaments and also to experiment by inoculating it with mycelium. The aim of this project was to test how so many natural and organic techniques can be combined and produce an ethical and non-toxic collection ogf garments. The next step was to make patterns to be printed in this filament. For these patterns the inspiration has been taken from the same organisms and their end products for exampls muhsrooms. All the patterns for this research draw inspiration from mushrooms and their forms.

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These patterns were inspired from mushrooms, from their clustrous forms and linear gills. These patterns were then attempted to be printed with the biodegradable filament GROWLAY. From the two kinds, for this project I worked with White GROWLAY which is a cellulosic filament and quite tricky to print with because it prints at a very low temperature, 90-95 degrees celsius.

Due to this reason it is very susceptive to even a little humidity and changes in diameter very easily which is why it demands that it is tested before each time its used to get the exact settings at that point. Mostly the layer height changes by a few millimetres. Most printers do not allow such a low temperature extrusion and requires an additional line in the code to enable this which is ‘M302 P1’. After many trials I got a set of parameter which worked and also realised that it still requires to be tested every time it is used.

On the right are some of the first patterns I printed with GROWLAY and the look and feel was very much like PLA but this wasn’t as stiff as PLA. It was possible to break it if applied with a little bit of force but it was giving results that I wanted. It was also mouldable if heated even a little so that gave me an opportunity to also deform the shape myself into what I wanted. But it was proving to be difficult to print with it because of its frequent change in diameter and properties but the hope was to get more acquainted to it in the future.

The next page shows more patterns I explored with GROWLAY for sampling. I experimented with different fabrics to see which one is working best with the filament. The first ones were on cotton jersey and then on crepe silk. It stuck better to silk crepe because it has a rough surface and a thinner one which allows for better adhesion. All these samples required a lot of trial and error to achieve settings for good quality printing because its not as smooth as PLA and doesn’t give the same results everytime.

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LIMITATIONS WITH GROWLAY As mentioned, it was not easy to print with GROWLAY and with the final review nearing there was a lot to be done. It’s constant change in properties were making it very difficult to go by schedule so the next steps were done using PLA. This project is a work in progress so the prototypes were completed using PLA and the main aim was to try to inoculate the GROWLAY with mycelium and that was possible using the samples I had managed to achieve by now.

The next step was printing with PLA which was very convienient because it has set and well tested parameters, due to this I was able to print more interesting patterns with it. To test the inoculation of GROWLAY with mycelium the samples were first soaked in water for 2 days which opens its capillaries to absorb the nutrient. GROWLAY cannot be heat sterilised because it will melt so it was sterilised with ethanol and then tested with different nutrients like honey and malt extract and different strains of mushrooms like Reishi and Oyster. The results weren’t as promising as expected because it’s prone to a lot of contamination due to the fact that it cannot be heat sterilised which is the best way, liquid sterilisation leaves room for contamination. There were a lot of tests done but not with a lot of success so this part of the project is to be researched more.

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PRINTING AND MOULDING PLA While printing with PLA there was more scope to explore moulding it in various ways. I explored interesting ways of moulding to make the 3D printed structure look even more organic and interesting. It was interesting to mould them any way I liked and it resulted in beautiful structures. The moulding was done using a heatgun at a low temperature and heating the plastic until its soft and mouldable to modify the shape.

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ASSEMBLING

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The results of the experiments undertaken show that the natural dyeing techniques here used, employing food waste, mordants and bacteria, are able to reliably achieve a range of colours whilst producing no toxic by-products, waste or pollutants of any kind. The quantities of water required are significantly lower than current synthetic dye methods use - in the case of bacteria dyeing being almost negligible - and the water in which the fabrics have been dyed is free from any toxic chemicals and safe to release into the environment without treatment.

The process of dyeing with food waste also helps us recycle discarded and waste material rather than using new material. This shows how these processes can be sustainable not only in not producing further waste but also utilising already discarded materials. The fact that it is a natural pigment and has the chemical properties to bond well with other compounds, means that it doesn’t require the fabric to be treated with a lot of chemicals to be able to absorb the colour.

Natural fibres work better with natural dyes for the very same reason.

The process is very easy to learn and follow but keeping certain things in mind because these are natural products and very susceptible to minor changes in temperature and pH. It was even better when it was tried in a small scale industrial machine. The results from this experiment were very promising, we saw a very even spread of colour which is rather difficult to achieve manually, also the fact that it worked on an average temperature which caused less damage to the fibres.

These factors prove that it has potential for scaling up but only to an extent, when the production is not as large as an industrial one.

Bacterial dyeing requires caution and more practice to get acquainted with the process and behaviour of the organism but its a completely chemical free process and requires very less water usage. It results in natural pigments which are biodegradable and durable on properly scoured natural fibres. It has potential for scaling up too but on a small scale as well because otherwise it would be unethical and result in exploitation of these natural beings. More research is required to study growth patterns and how they can be controlled to achieve the desired results.

All in all, this paper demonstrates that these natural processes are safer alternatives to toxic dyes especially for use by smaller producers. Further research will uncover better techniques for reliably producing any desired colour and for controlling the precise shades achieved. Further research is also needed to promote improved bacteria growth and in more predictable patterns.

Lastly, GROWLAY and mycelium are difficult to work with but can result in a promising alternative to plastic filaments and to give an organic feel to a garment and this part of the project is a work in progress.

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https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/41411

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https://sanvt.com/journal/the-environmental-impact-of-dyes-in-fashion/

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452072119300413#bib0185

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https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/10628#:~:text=The%20two%20important%20classes%20 of,violet%2Dblue%20or%20green%20colors.

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https://www.textiletoday.com.bd/water-pollution-due-textile-industry/#:~:text=and%20 water%20pollution-,Textile%20dyeing%20is%20the%20second%2Dlargest%20polluter%20 of%20water%20worldwide,wastewater%20negatively%20affects%20the%20environment.

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https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/mycorrhizae/#:~:text=The%20word%20 %E2%80%9Cmycorrhiza%E2%80%9D%20means%20fungal,are%20ubiquitous%20in%20 the%20soil.

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https://www.slideshare.net/NishatFatima33/dye-and-its-impact

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https://faberfutures.com/projects/project-coelicolor/assemblage002/

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http://materialsexperiencelab.com/growing-design

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https://colorifix.com/colorifix-solutions/

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https://filament2print.com/gb/lay/957-biodegradable-growlay-3d.html

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https://www.mathisag.com/EN/product_detail.php?txtProductID=123110

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https://issuu.com/iaac_ilaena_mariam_napier/docs/ilaena_napier_final_thesis_project

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https://class.textile-academy.org/2022/vidisha-goel/Final%20Project/01_Concept%20 and%20Inspiration/

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