Colour4CRAFTS

CRAFTS: Combining, Re-engineering, Applying, Futuring, Transforming, Stretching

Colour4Crafts is a multidisciplinary research project funded by the EU Horizon programme, focusing on bio-based textile colouration. It responds to the urgent call for increasing sustainability in craft-scale colouration practices and, more broadly, in industrial-scale textile production in Europe. As a team, I work with expertise from the fields of archaeology and history, textiles and colouration, biotechnology and chemistry, art, craft, design, and education. Partners in this project are research institutes and companies engaged in research and development (R&D): the University of Helsinki (Finland), the University of Lapland (Finland), the University of Tartu (Estonia), the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) (Belgium), the University of Leeds (UK), and PILI-Bio (France).
Our four main research pathways have key specific topics of textile colouration:

History and tradition
Art and craft
Science of colouration and colourants
Future visions of colours and colouration practices in Europe

Cochineal Dye poster explains the origins of Cochineal Dye and its development at the School of Design, University of Leeds. The fabric samples showcase the latest techniques for applying cochineal dye in both dyeing and ink-jet printing on cotton fabrics.

As a postdoctoral researcher on the Colour4CRAFTS project, my focus lies in the intersection of art, craft, and sustainability. I explore how European textile art and craft practices—particularly those involving natural dyes—can inform and inspire more sustainable approaches to textile colouration. To support the project’s aims, I conducted a comprehensive literature review and carried out interviews with key stakeholders in the natural dye sector. This research investigates how natural dyes are currently used across the textile and fashion industries, as well as how they are taught and explored within higher education institutions.

My contributions so far include:

Cochineal Dye Poster, featured in Seasons of Colours at The Artikum Gallery, Rovaniemi, Finland
Nature Fabrics, exhibited in Nature’s Cornucopia at Space@Design, University of Leeds, UK
Journal Article – “A systematic review of natural colourants and trend forecasting practices for the textile and fashion industry,” published open access in The Coloration Technology Journal

If you share an interest in natural dyes, sustainable colour futures, or collaborative research, I’d love to connect. Please email me at B.Titisari@leeds.ac.uk

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse