Colorifix Ltd and Central Saint Martins are delighted to announce the launch of a collaborative sponsored PhD project led by designer Ruth Lloyd. This doctoral research project aims to develop a new framework to accelerate the transition to microbial colour printing in the textile industry.

The textile dyeing industry is one of the largest water consumers in the world – using over 5 trillion litres per year and approximately 70 highly toxic chemicals are used in routine dyeing processes.

The Colorifix method replaces petrochemical dyeing with natural and renewable products and processes, such as simple sugars, yeast and plant by-products. This leads to a significant reduction in water consumption, energy and the elimination of toxic chemicals currently used in the industry.

Ruth Lloyd is a textile designer with in-depth knowledge of textile printing and was designer in residence at Colorifix in 2021-2022, making her an ideal doctoral candidate to develop a scalable bio-based colouring framework for the dyeing industry.

The PhD is registered at the Living Systems Lab at Central Saint Martins under the supervision of Professor Carole Collet (Central Saint Martins), Dr Alice Taylor (Central Saint Martins) and Professor Jim Ajioka (Colorifix). The Living Systems Lab explores the inherent properties of biological living systems to develop new knowledge in the field of ecology via creative practices in art, design and architecture.

More than ever, the fashion industry is seeking scalable alternatives to petrochemical textile dyeing. Both the biotechnology and the design sectors are active catalysts for change and this project demonstrates how design-science research can play a vital role in the transition to a cleaner fashion system.