EcoPrint Studies on Fabric

EcoPrint Studies on Fabric

Plant Dyeing as Process and Practice

My series of eco-print fabric studies explores how plant pigments react directly with raw cotton. In these examples, rose, sunflower, willow, and maple leaves were processed in combination with tannins, iron (iron sulfate), and vinegar. Without synthetic dyes, contours, silhouettes, and tonal values emerge—from warm, rusty browns to cool greys and blacks, all the way to luminous yellow.

Motivation & Idea behind Plant Dyeing
Plant dyeing, for me, means working locally, resource-consciously, and process-oriented. I use the vegetation at hand, allow reactions to occur, and document them. Each study is a field note—a comparison of leaf structure, season, mordant, and duration. In this way, a practical archive grows that brings together design (aesthetic effect) and ecology (material origin, compatibility). The results are layered, natural prints with high detail fidelity. Differences between leaf species, mordants, and pH levels are made intentionally visible.

Materials: various leaves, untreated cotton (partly pre-mordanted for better uptake), iron, vinegar, tannins
Year: 2024
Technique: Eco print