WOVEN Festival — an insightful talk on natural dyes from Debbie Bamford ASDC
The SDC was proud to take part in the biennial WOVEN festival in Kirklees, UK, across June and July. Funded by Kirklees Council and Arts Council England, the series of events involved local residents, textile businesses, artists, and educational organisations including the SDC.
The SDC’s main involvement in the event was the Growing Colour Together Synopsism. Postgraduate researcher, natural dyer and SDC member Debbie Bamford ASDC gave an insightful talk about natural dyes used in the textile industry.
Natural dyes have been used to colour textiles for over 6,000 years, Debbie explained, but they were superseded by synthetic dyes from the late 19th century.
However, recent concerns about the environment and pollution from the dye industry have turned thoughts back to the natural world, and sparked new interest in such coloration processes.
As part of her talk, Debbie took the audience on a journey through time as she uncovered the early history of natural dyes, and how they can be used for commercial purposes in the modern day.
Debbie discussed the earliest-known dyed textile from Peru, around 6,000 years old. Before moving on to the guilds trades and controls of the dyeing industry, Debbie focused on the remaining colours of perhaps the most recognisable historical textile — the Bayeux Tapestry — an artefact from the 11th Century that still holds some of its colour!
The audience was then treated to a deeper look into the history of Francesco di Marco Datini, and the Italian merchant’s archives which are available to view in Prato, Italy.
For the latter part of her talk, Debbie presented some insightful research into the science of natural dyes, with a specific look into VAT, substantive, and adjective dyes and the commercial uses of each.
About Debbie Bamford
Debbie was awarded Associateship of the SDC in recognition of 30 years of research, experimentation and practical experience in natural dyeing. She has also been recognised across Europe for her depth of knowledge.
Debbie established her brand The Mulberry Dyer in the mid-1990s receiving a Green Achiever award for her practices. She is keen to maintain and encourage bioregional regenerative textile systems. As a consultant to industry, she has spearheaded research into natural dye application for carpets and knitwear. Debbie is currently a postgraduate researcher studying the environmental impacts of natural dyes and mordants including the relation to fastness of colours at the University of Leeds
Find out more about Debbie Bamford (ASDC) and talks and workshops offered by The Mulberry Dyer, here.