Abstract
Current industrial textile production relies on petrochemical dyes. This dependence has led to growing interest in bio-based alternatives, although their adoption remains constrained by technical and cultural factors. In particular, bio-based dyes do not meet typical industrial standards for stability, diversity of colour choices, and reproducibility. Textiles dyed with bio-based colourants tend to exhibit colour changes under light exposure. Current design software systems were built with the conventional expectation of stability of petrochemical dyes in mind, making them ill-adapted to bio-based dye behaviour and thus hampering their industrial adoption. To address this gap, we propose the prototype of a novel design software for textile designers, which integrates visualisation of light discoloration of bio-based dyes over time. This proof-of-concept software integrates the characteristics of materials inherently unstable to light in the design of a knitted jacquard. We argue that integrating the specificities of bio-based dyes into design tools could enable designers to transition toward more regenerative design approaches. Grounded in an understanding of the chemical behaviour of dye molecules over time and the translation of these dynamics into computational representations and textile structures, the software encourages broader reflection on the role of digital design tools in influencing designers’ choices. This work opens perspectives for the integration of bio-based active materials into contemporary design, production, and use cycles, by reframing instability and evolution as intrinsic properties of the material rather than limitations.
Keywords
Natural dyes; Predictive modelling; Evolutive design; Active materials
DOI
10.21606/TI-2026.148
Citation
Barbot, C., Fuzier, C., Loïc, B., Emile, D.,and Mavros, P.(2026) Designing with Evolutive Colors: A Proof of Concept for Bio-based Dye Integration in Textile Design Digital Workflow, in Jane Scott, Sophie Skach, and Rebecca Stewart (eds.), Textile Intersections 2026, 17-18 September 2026, London, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/TI-2026.148
Conference Track
researchpapers
Included in
Designing with Evolutive Colors: A Proof of Concept for Bio-based Dye Integration in Textile Design Digital Workflow
Current industrial textile production relies on petrochemical dyes. This dependence has led to growing interest in bio-based alternatives, although their adoption remains constrained by technical and cultural factors. In particular, bio-based dyes do not meet typical industrial standards for stability, diversity of colour choices, and reproducibility. Textiles dyed with bio-based colourants tend to exhibit colour changes under light exposure. Current design software systems were built with the conventional expectation of stability of petrochemical dyes in mind, making them ill-adapted to bio-based dye behaviour and thus hampering their industrial adoption. To address this gap, we propose the prototype of a novel design software for textile designers, which integrates visualisation of light discoloration of bio-based dyes over time. This proof-of-concept software integrates the characteristics of materials inherently unstable to light in the design of a knitted jacquard. We argue that integrating the specificities of bio-based dyes into design tools could enable designers to transition toward more regenerative design approaches. Grounded in an understanding of the chemical behaviour of dye molecules over time and the translation of these dynamics into computational representations and textile structures, the software encourages broader reflection on the role of digital design tools in influencing designers’ choices. This work opens perspectives for the integration of bio-based active materials into contemporary design, production, and use cycles, by reframing instability and evolution as intrinsic properties of the material rather than limitations.