December 13th, 2011 by luiven

Botanical Colours and Aquarelle dyes. Seattle, WA. USA

When I was asked to try Aquarelle dyes, a new natural dyes product at Botanical Colours www.botanicalcolors.com, I accepted without hesitation. The rationale behind testing new dyestuffs that are not only easier to manipulate, but also organically certified in essence, to me, was an effortless decision to make. Since my dealings with natural dyes started over four years ago, I have had the opportunity to use dyestuffs that are chemically speaking, different, which means that by the law of  natural chemistry, they behave and bind molecularly differently too.

As a textile designer with an eye for fashion however, I look for colours that are not only beautiful and pleasing to the retina, but that are also by the law of nature sustainable, so the words toxic and synthetic are faux pas to me and NOT part of the equation.

When it comes to naturally dyeing, there are two obvious contenders to consider, hand dyeing and industrial dyeing. Hand dyeing can be done within confined spaces using limited resources and are almost always practised by artisans; industrial dyeing on the other hand can be accomplished in large quantities using the appropriate equipment. There is something to be said for both, hand dyeing with natural indigo, for example, although laborious in technique due to the nature of VAT dyeing, can be a beautiful experience indeed, as it can yield exquisite shades of blue despite the crocking that it can cause. Hand dyeing with natural extracts on the other hand, can bring a different dimension to dyeing, in as far as they can be dissolved for yielding purposes depending on the nature of the material to be dyed. My only concern being the amount of spotting that results in the process. Hand dyeing using aquarelle dyes including Saxon Blue, can simplify all of the above, as less water is necessary to dissolve 1 gr of dyestuff. They are in essence, not only sustainable but also ideal, with the aid of a disperse solution as part of the suggested process, a far greater dyeing cover per length of cloth can also be achieved. So it would seem, that most technical difficulties can be overcome.

Is this the way forward, I ask myself? as a purist, I would be inclined to personally advocate to the use of raw natural material but as technology advances and fashion becomes more sustainably demanding, it would make perfect sense to prefer naturally yielding colour dyes that are both sustainable by nature and easier to handle, the decision lies entirely with the individual.

Thank you Botanical Colours for providing me with the opportunity to try Aquarelles out. For further information on the product please contact Kathy Hattori on botanicalcolors@gmail.com 

 

September 26th, 2011 by luiven

Foraging for textiles in pursue of a good life

I have never before searched the countryside for food nor provisions of any kind with neither purpose nor intent until very recently. Sasha Duerr, founder of  The Permacouture Institute in California, through her take on Eco-literacy and this wonderful and one of many workshops held on the West Coast of California has enabled me to achieved just that. The very ancient art of “foraging” takes a different perspective on textiles as sources of dyestuff used to dye cloth and yarns are organically and locally grown. The fact that it took place on Stone Edge Farm in the heart of Sonoma wine country was indeed a bonus. This privately owned retreat farm, attentively guarded and modern in design is composed of an elegantly balanced and uncluttered landscape set amongst Californian bay and oak trees bordered by a seasonal creek in Sonoma county. It also has, as I was later informed its very own observatory, two reflecting and separate raised lap pools, all surrounded by hundreds of olive trees. A superb setting that enabled me to understand the ecological landscape that harvests the plants we used to dye with. Under the shade of an old tree, local oak galls were gathered for tanning, grape and vine leaves were used for the yielding of soft mauves just as sour grass and pear leaves did yellows and greens, while basil and a wonderful selection of flowers were used to pound delicate hues and patterns onto cloth. The workshop came to a brilliant crescendo as renowned local chef John McReynolds provided the most exquisite of all to dye for lunches, prepared with on site organically grown produce and consumed with the farms very own rose wine and a tasteful selection of organically made fruit beverages that turned pear juice into a new alcoholic delight. Designing with organically procured colours has indeed opened a whole new way of textile yielding for me. By bringing people together through food and wine, foraging turns into a new and envigorating art form, connecting the linguists of natural yielding textiles with the very people that help sustain it.

 

May 27th, 2011 by luiven

Bougainvillea Couture: the future in Fashion

“Bougainvillea Couture” has been conceptualised by Luiven Rivas-Sanchez in collaboration with renowned designers, master dyers and textile artists from across the world. It aims to positively challenge the high end of the fashion market by using unfamiliar materials in order to push the boundaries of Couture as an Art form.  It is an innovative philosophy culled from traditional methods of application in which dyeing using natural dyes together with enhancing creative techniques and imaginative pattern cutting give way to ecology in design.

“Bougainvillea Couture” is a concept morphed out of nature and inspired from cultural riches of the past, its main objective is to promote awareness in sustainable fashion and textiles enabling designers to rethink the way the word “WEAR” is commonly tagged, it is a conceptual process that aims to educate, engage and stimulate consumers for years to come in a world that is pervasively poisoned and polluted with chemicals, pollutants and industrial toxins of which 17%-20% waste is humanly generated by the textile industry.

https://www.facebook.com/bougainvilleacouture

 

May 13th, 2011 by luiven

AMFI lecture on E-Couture and sustainable colours in Fashion and Textiles

AMFI in Amsterdam embraces issues of sustainabilty as part of the curricula, situated along the Amstel river just outside Central Station, AMFI offers one of the best courses in fashion/marketability in Europe, a reputation that has earned it accolades amongst Colleges and Universities of Fashion throughout the Continent. After a guided tour of the different departments, I was courteously ushered to the Kriterion amphitheatre. The aim of my lecture delivered to over 100 students was to demostrate the use of sustainable colours in fashion and textile designing.

 

May 4th, 2011 by luiven

ISEND2011-Europe. La Rochelle, France. May 25th-29th.

Arriving in La Rochelle to attend ISEND2011 brought feelings of deja vu. The town, founded by Louis XIV in eighteenth century France was to host of one the most important symposiums on natural dyes. The area round the old harbour where the local aquarium stands erected was transformed into an International arena where friends, colleagues and experts from over 60 countries gathered to share historical data and the latest scientific advances on natural dyes. Encone, also known to the locals as the old fish market provided the perfect venue. The main auditorium hosted over 80 lectures delivered by a selection of scientists, textile historians, practitioners, artists and designers. Raising the profile of natural dyes was the main objective of the symposium. Demostrating their use at an industrial level was indeed a ground braking achievement. It casted a defining moment in the realms of natural dyes. Workshops, poster presentations as well as an art and fashion exhibiton were all part of the main programme. La Rochelle, with its historical background and beautiful architecture was indeed the perfect place for it. Excellent food and wine together with superb French hospitality was enjoyed by all.  A beautifully orchestrated gala evening contributed to a splendid finale Louis XIV would have dyed for, well done Critt Horticole for organizing such an important event!  

 

February 4th, 2011 by luiven

Trend Union Seminar 2012. Portland, Oregon. USA

To attend this important seminar was a last minute decision as my time to dye silks at Earthues studios would have to be cut short if I attended. Thanks to Michele’s persuasive ways and confident reassurance that it would all be completed in time for my return to California, I joined her on the three hour drive to Oregon during early hours of the morning to arrive just in time to quickly register at the ACE Hotel, venue where the seminar was being held. After a brief and courteous introduction to Emmanuelle Linard, our narrator, the presentation started.

Being sensitive to issues pertaining to nature, I was instantly engaged, partly due to Emmanuelle’s soft manner when speaking but also due to a sequence of projected and highly motivating visuals. Here, the planet we inhabit served as the perfect inspirational backdrop for 2012, not only for the beautiful flora and fauna that abounds on it, but for the catastrophic disasters that occur as a result of heavy rain, snow storms, draughts and climate changes in general. A series of mood boards with complementary chromatic colours alongside textural patterns were all part the theme.

Also for 2012, natural dyes are seriuosly illustrated as part of that important component that is so necessary for the dyeing of sustainable textiles at an international level. ISEND 2011, to be held in La Rochelle, France this coming April plays a key role.

The seminar ended on a high note when unexpectedly Emmanuelle Linard asked Michele Wipplinger and myself to comment on the subject of natural dyes, an impromptu request which made the three hour drive in heavy traffic back to Seattle an easy ride to contemplate.

February 3rd, 2011 by luiven

In search of gold that does not shine

For the second time in seven months, I have recently visited Earthues studios in Seattle where my aim was to define a palette of red nuances on protein fabrics by using natural dye extracts as part of a special Couture project I am currently working in collaboration with fashion designer Deborah Milner from London and textile artist Noriko Endo from Japan. To help me orchestrate my vision however, I needed further alliance, in drizzly Seattle, I found the perfect match thanks again to Michele Wipplinger of Earthues.

For the duration of my six day visit, I was tantalized by the effects of colour metamerism and the tricks that it can play on the retina, theory which I have studied as part of my research for the book I have been writing for sometime. To translate visions of red hues onto expensive silks by way of natural dyeing however was in essence a tricky enough task to undertake but a challenge that Michele was only too happy to conduct despite her own personal and professional tight schedule of work. 

Like many renowned dyers of the Middle Ages and their forfathers before them, I wanted expensive and rare Nochezli, as it was known in the Old World to provide me with a special kind of red, in rare cochineal extract, I found that and although I was able to obtain a brilliant shade of crimson from it, I did not quite achieve the scarlet red of the Middle Ages that I had previously seen time and time on paintings by Old Masters during endless visits to The National Portrait Gallery, The National Gallery and British Museum in London as well as  The Legion of Honour here in San Francisco in my quest for the reds, a chromatic vision that has travelled with me ever since. Madder extract as I suspected however changed all that, it held the final card of triumph in the mixing. It transported me for a moment to the magical world of Rosetti circa 1530, where I was able to witness through the art of dyeing the romantic brilliance of a “perfect red” in the making by mixing the kind of gold that does not shine with a special red that does. Michele and her obliging team acted as provisioners of a fortified arsenal in twenty first century America.

 

June 10th, 2010 by luiven

Earthues, USA. June 2-9, 2010

The telephone never stopped ringing at Earthues studios in Seattle during my recent visit where I undertook an intense 1-2-1 course with Michele Wipplingler. From the moment I was introduced to Michele in India and discussed with her the reasons why it was important for me to do a special workshop at Earthues, the moment I felt reassured about my original idea. I was thrilled and equally delighted when we mutually agreed and raised to the challenge over a glass of wine in Kolkata. Michele’s confidence and knowledge on the subject of natural dyes is overwhelming. This is something that became apparent to me from day one. Her acumen surpasses the reputation she confers which is why people from all over the world, including myself, seek her invaluable wisdom and expertise on such complex matters relating to natural dyeing. Michele is the genuine advocate and pioneer of natural dyes that I had imagined she would be. I became totally absorbed in her world in no time, the world of Earthues. I realized then without a spec of a doubt that my decision to come to Seattle to further my knowledge on the art of dyeing fine silks with indigo, madder and weld extracts was the right one for me. Michele was generous in more ways that I dared to imagine, her studio practice was impeccable and infectious. Her method of dyeing complimented her creative approach to hand painting fabrics. I am honoured and priviledged to have had the opportunity to learn from the great master that Michele is, and came away feeling completely reassured that my involvement with Earthues and friendship with Michele in particular will continue for years to come. Thank you Earthues!

 

April 14th, 2010 by luiven

Fashion presentations in Downtown San Francisco

I was invited to attend a couple of fashion presentations not so long ago by Jeff Oakes from Metial in Downtown San Francisco. The one at Bastille was more like a social gathering for which a fee of $20 had to be paid, being new to San Francisco I succumbed to the charge and decided to join my culprit friend. After a couple of glasses of wine and a brief tour of the clothes on exhibit we decided to make our polite thank yous and good byes and headed down towards a disused building not far from The Civic Centre where the Eco-fashion presentation was being held. This time we did not have to pay the entrance fee thanks to Jeff’s quick thinking. It was more like a stalls market hall where sustainable fashion/recycled clothing was being promoted and sold alas without the glamour so thank you Jeff for suggesting an early escape in preference to food and drinks at LIME in the Castro.

 

February 27th, 2010 by luiven

RAKSHA. Kolkata, India. February 2010

I planned to attend this rare and dazzling exhibition on Indian natural dyes while researching on the subject in the US after a tip from Jenny Balfour Paul who is not only an authority on Indigo blue but a constant source of inspiration to me personally and to others I am sure.

Visitors form across the world gathered in Kolkata for this very special occasion to catch a glimpse of the fascinating display of natural dyes and textile samples which stood testimony to the Indian rich textiles and dye history all under one roof at the ICCR building.

For the first time in history surviving volumes of the Indian dye chronicler Thomas Wardle who happened to be William Morris’s dyer during the time of the Arts and Crafts movement in England were on display as well as works of Forbes Watson on Indian textures. I was lucky and priviledged enough to be able to witness such findings and be part of this whole experience.

The seminars were addressed by distinguished authorities such as Dr. Brenda king from the UK , Dr. Anne-Rose Bringel from France, Dr. Jenny Balfour-Paul from the UK, Ruby Ghuznavi from Bangladesh, Lynda Hillyer and her team from the V&A, UK, Mr.Vinod Daniel from Australia and Mr. Pramod Kumar from the Anokhi museum of handprinting from India.

An exhibition of rare Bengal textiles was also held at ICCR and demonstrations on spinning and weaving, balaposh, kantha, rafoogars and natural dyes were also held at different venues in the city of Kolkata.

This conference was masterminded by Amrita Mukherjee and professionally executed by her team.

 

January 29th, 2010 by luiven

The Craft and Design Institute, Jaipur.

When asked to address a group of students at CDI by course leader Rachna Singh, I was thrilled. The Institute, one of its kind in India funded by the government as well as the private sector, offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate design led with emphasis on craft courses, where traditional methods of application such as block printing using natural dyes are taught as part of the academic programme. Work placements with established local textile firms such as Rangotri, Rashid and Ojjas are higly encouraged.

January 29th, 2010 by luiven

Mud resist workshop using Indigo, Jaipur.

 

This wonderful workshop which involves traditional methods of block printing took place at OJJAS printing premises in the North West of Jaipur over a period of four days under the supervision and guidance of experts in the field which included Dhananjai Singh co-0wner of this growing business and Natalie Gibson from Central Saint Martins in London.

The mud paste used (also known as dahbu) consists of five different components one of which is lime stone. Calico was used to experiment with and old wooden blocks were carefully selected for sharpness and clear definition. Fabric pieces were block printed with “dahbu” and sprinkled with sawdust in order to absorb the excess moisture. All samples were left to dry in the sunshine before being immersed in the indigo dye vat. Some fabrics were printed over when dry and redyed in pomegranate and myrobalan using khasis as mordant also known as ferrous sulphate. All of these were in the powder form with the exception of pomegranate. 

On the last day of the workshop an exhibition of fabrics and garments printed and dyed was held on the lawns of The Diggi Palace hotel and was attended by OJJA’s representatives as well as other distinguished guests from the block printing industry in Jaipur. I displayed several pieces in calico, cotton poplin, silk habotai and silk crepe de chine. The last two lenghts of dahbu printed silks were made into funky ties.

December 23rd, 2009 by luiven

ISEND 2011 logo

When I was asked to design the logo for the next symposium and exhibition on natural dyes to be held in La Rochelle, France at the end of April 2011,  I  felt rather priviledged. The appointment came via an email from Anne de la Sayette from France. I was in the UK at the time and preparing to leave for the US not long after that, so I guess this section of my blog is slightly overdue and should have been written back in mid November after the decision was made to select the most suitable image for ISEND’s webpage.

I supplied Anne de la Sayette and Dr. Dominique Cardon who are the organizers of the symposium with several ideas for the logo and although the deadline was brought forward by a total of two weeks, the unanimous decision to choose the active logo for the website was reached. If you are interested please do not hesitate to log onto www.isend2011.com to view it.  Credits for this can be seen by clicking on the terms and conditions section at the bottom of the webpage.

November 9th, 2009 by luiven

From Switzerland to The White House. November 5th 2009.

The story behind the fabric used by Cuban born and New York based Fashion Designer Isabel Toledo for the innaguration dress worn by Michelle Obama is quite enchanting as I found out during an evening organised by The Textile Museum in DC and to which I was kindly invited to attend.

As the designer herself explained ” It was a privilege to be able to design the innaguartion dress for the Fisrt Lady” although this would not be the first time that Michelle Obama favours Isabel Toledo’s designs.

The fabric was manufactured by Forster Rohner a swiss company specialising in fashion fabrics for both Pret-a-Porter and Couture. They have been selling fabrics to Isabel Toledo for the last 15 years. The fabric used for the dress is a cleverly machine engineered Irish lace inspired design using tulle as a backing fabric which gives a metallic feel and look to it in the most beautiful shade of mustard yellow or lemon grass as it has been described in the media.

Meeting Isabel and her illustrator husband Ruben Toledo was a refreshing experience.

 

November 9th, 2009 by luiven

The Textile Museum. Washington, DC

The Textile Museum is a hidden gem in the Dupont area of DC. Since being in Washington, I have had the pleasure to attend private views, museum talks and visit the Arthur D. Jenkins library of Textile Arts on many occasions which luckily for me re-opened on September 30th 2010.

The Mary Baskett collection currently on exhibit until April 11, 2010 is comprised of pieces from her own personal collection/wardrove which she began collecting during the late 1980s whilst being the curator of prints at the Cincinnati Museum in the late 1960s. Japanese designers include Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons for whom I have had the priviledge to design printed textiles in the 1980s.

The Innovation of Nuno exhibition displays an amazing range of fabrics from the BORO BORO, FUWA FUWA, SHIMI JIMI, KIRA KIRA, SUKE SUKE and SAWA SAWA collections some of which I am familiar with.

I continue to use the museum’s library for my personal research and studies on natural dyes.

November 9th, 2009 by luiven

Maiwa Symposium

I decided to postpone attending this symposium in Vancouver as I am due to do a workshop in Jaipur, India at the begining of January 2010. As it happens, Maiwa are directly involved with projects in the Jaipur area using natural dyes and block printing so I thought it best to try my luck while in India.

However, Michelle Wippingler herself was kind enough to get back to me and suggest that I do the same workshop in her studios in Seattle, this is something I intend to pursue in 2010.

August 21st, 2009 by luiven

Duchy Centre for the Creative Arts

When I phoned my friend Peter from Devon to find out where exactly Princetown was in Dartmoor we had a bit of a laugh as he informed me that it is well known for its prison!!! I joked that I would probably rent a cell for the night but as it happened they only glimpse I had of the place was when I was leaving the town!!!
I decided to book a two day workshop at “The Duchy Centre” after a tip from Jenny Balfour-Paul whilst I was in the US researching on Natural Dyes. This workshop was instructed by Jane Deane who is herself an accomplished yarn dyer, weaver and a lover of colour. After a brief discussion with Jane on what I would hope to achieve during this workshop, I decided that I would like to have a go at dyeing with Mulberry leaves (simply because I know that silk worms love it as I found out during my visit to Veneseda in Merida, Venezuela), Cutch waste, Marigold, Anatto and Madder as well as Madder root itself. Luckily Jane had scoured and pre-mordanted all the fabrics in order to save time. I soon found out that dyeing cloth is harder than dyeing yarns and the colours as a result are harder to obtain. However, I can gladly say that I successfully managed to obtain lovely colours out of Cutch, Marigold and Anatto as well as with some overdyeing using Madder in my favourites cotton velvet, silk gauze and ramie…the workshop was short and experimental, after all, this is what part of designing is about and I am sure Jane would back me up on this!!!

 

July 24th, 2009 by luiven

Design for tomorrow: “The future of Technology and Sustainability”

This I found an interesting presentation conducted by Bill Moggridge co-founder of IDEO and Amory Lovings of The Rocky Mountains Institute.

Bill Moggridge spoke of how Technology, business and people are so important in our society and the role they play in respect of one another. He also showed sketches of his laptop invention which he designed in 1980 and how it revolutionised our technology. He emphasised on how health and well being must be considered to achieve global sustainability as well as sustainable products. He also spoke of a milk carton which he came across during one of his trips to Denmark made out of Ecolen, later found to have chalk and plastic binding agents.

Amory Lovings spoke about how by using environmentally friendly materials money can be saved and used Eco buildings as an example, he also expressed his concern on the lack of official assessments despite the success rate achieved when applied to housing, cars, light trucks, heavy trucks, ships and airplanes.

It was concluded that as responsible human beings we ought to think more of the implications that may be created by using  certain materials which can be harmful to the environment. This is what I would call common sense!

 

July 21st, 2009 by luiven

Am I going round the world doing workshops?

The answer is yes, if that is what it takes to fully understand the subject of Natural Dyeing.

Since arriving in the US in May 2009, I have been trying to find ways in which to do my research regarding Natural Dyes/Extracts/Natural Colorants and Pigments. My findings so far have been very limited and the only basic evidence I have come across here in Washington, DC in particular has been at “The Textile Museum”. As a result, I have decided to try my luck in New York after following the advice of Jenny Balfour-Paul who is a well known academic in the subject of Indigo and the author of books on the subject. ”The Yarn Tree Studios” subsequently proved to be a wise choice to do my first workshop under the instruction and strict supervision of Linda Labelle where we dyed using both cellulose and protein yarns and dyes such as Eucalyptus, Myrobalan, Pomegranate, Cochineal, Madder root, Cutch Logwood and Indigo . The workshop was an intense and enjoyable experience which lasted three days and Linda was always keen to answer any questions no matter how simple or complicated these might be. Being a lover of colour and not particularly afraid of getting my hands dirty, I proceeded to listen and participate in this great workshop as I owe it to myself to continue being a Bon Vivant of Natural Dyes, I am sure Linda would agree!