Engaged Graduate Student Grants
Community-Based Indigo
Creating videos to communicate why and how to use natural textile dyes
While plant-based dyes are used in some niche industries, they are not the norm in large-scale apparel and textile production. Stony Creek Colors is trying to change that, partnering with tobacco farmers to convert their fields to indigo, which requires lower labor and chemical costs and can improve economic security for family farmers. For this project, Stony Creek Colors is partnering with Kelsie Doty to produce a series of open-access videos on how to use indigo and other natural dyes, as well as the dye’s history, chemistry and design potential. While providing dye technique instructions, these videos will also promote awareness of U.S. agriculture, explain sustainable dye practices and help to grow the natural-dye community.
Topics: Economic Vitality and Entrepreneurship; Food and Agriculture
The Team
- Graduate student: Kelsie Doty, fiber science and apparel design
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Special committee chair:
Denise Green, Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design
College of Human Ecology
- Community partner: Stony Creek Colors