Colorifix, Central Saint Martins Launch Microbial Printing PhD Project 

LONDON — February 28, 2023 — 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 color printing in the textile industry.

The textile dyeing industry is one of the largest water consumers in the world — using more than 5 trillion liters 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 coloring 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.

Professor Carole Collet, co-director of the Living Systems Lab at Central Saint Martins, said, “We are delighted to activate our formal collaboration with Colorifix via this pioneering PhD project and are looking forward to work with leaders in bacterial biotechnologies to develop new knowledge for regenerative fashion systems.”

Professor Jim Ajioka, chief science officer at Colorifix, added: “Collaborative PhD projects like ours with Central Saint Martins will become an increasingly important component of research at the intersection of science and design, especially for industrial adoption of bio-based products and processes.”

Posted February 28, 2023

Source: Colorifix/Central Saint Martins

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