Understanding Colours: A Learning Module for Sustainable Dyeing Practices
Image: Natural dyeing of a fabric in flame of forest dye bath; Ruchit Jadya for ColorAshram
Namrata Bhutoria, Impart + Nalli Fellowship 2024–25
Location and Organisation: ColorAshram Foundation, Mysuru, India
Focus: Textile dyeing, sustainability, organic and natural dyes
Methodology: Semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, secondary research, thematic analysis using UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) competencies
Outcomes: A five-part educational course exploring the past, present, and future of colour in textiles through theory and practice
Introduction:
This project, a short course on sustainable dyeing practices, was conceived in response to a persistent gap in Indian textile and fashion education: a lack of learning resources that approach and connect the history, chemistry, environmental impact, and practical applications of natural dyeing.
The outcome of the year-long Fellowship is an open-access, free educational module comprising self-guided video lessons, companion articles, and a curated reference library. Together, these materials introduce learners to the historical evolution of using colour in textiles, the environmental and social consequences of synthetic dyes, and the possibilities of natural dyeing today. Designed for students, educators, practitioners, and conscious consumers, the course aims to make sustainable dyeing more accessible by combining rigorous practice-based research with visual storytelling and practical demonstration.
The project unfolded in four interconnected stages: research and discovery, script development, production, and the creation of accompanying educational resources. Drawing on extensive primary and secondary research — including nine expert interviews and a corpus of 28 key sources — the course took the form of a five-part educational series. Structured as a progressive learning journey, it guides learners from building foundational knowledge to experimenting with sustainable dyeing practices.
Namrata Bhutoria was awarded the Impart + Nalli Fellowship in 2024. The Fellowship is offered through a collaboration between Nalli Silks — a heritage textile brand established in 1928 — and Impart, an online platform dedicated to developing accessible resources on South Asian art and cultural histories. Every year, the Fellowship supports two research projects on underexplored textile histories, practices, and traditions in South Asia. For the inaugural cycle in 2024–25, Fellows were selected through a rigorous assessment process that included reviewing more than 200 project proposals, followed by interviews with shortlisted applicants. The Jury and Advisory Committee comprised Annapurna Garimella, Manju Sara Rajan, Mayank Mansingh Kaul and Lavanya Nalli.
Project Background: Contemporary Textile and Fashion Education
Ideas of sustainability have become central to conversations surrounding textiles and fashion, yet their presence in teaching environments remains largely abstract, with students receiving limited exposure to the practical realities of dyeing and production processes. At the same time, the landscape of pedagogy in the field is changing as classroom learning materials increasingly include digital resources; educators in turn create avenues to meet learners where they are — with audio-visual lessons — and communicate complex ideas through accessible media formats.
This project was conceived to address these intersecting challenges. Rather than presenting themes of sustainability solely through theory, it sought to combine historical and cultural context, scientific understanding, environmental awareness, and practical demonstration within a coherent learning journey. The resulting resources were designed not only for independent learners but also as teaching materials that educators could readily integrate into classroom settings.
Throughout the Fellowship, research remained closely connected to the academic imperative. Conversations with educators and practitioners helped identify the knowledge gaps, teaching challenges, and learning formats most relevant to students, ensuring that the course responded directly to the needs of contemporary textile education.
Dipping pomegranate dyed t-shirt in diluted iron water to achieve shade variation; Souharda Sivasou for ColorAshram
Research Questions
The project was structured around a few thematic questions, each of which became a basis for the five videos that constitute the series:
What is the historical relationship between colour, dyes, and society? What impact and cultural significance have dyes had across time?
What is natural dyeing? What do we know about the history, chemistry, terminologies, and principles underlying the concept?
What are the environmental and human impacts of using conventional synthetic dyes? Why is natural dyeing a solution worth pursuing?
What does sustainability mean within the context of contemporary textile production and the fashion industry?
What is the practicality and scope of natural-colour application in India at present?
Dipping blue pea flower in hot water for dye extraction; Souharda Sivasou for ColorAshram
Research Methodology:
Primary research was undertaken through nine recorded semi-structured interviews with educators, sustainability specialists, and natural-dye practitioners from across India. This was complemented by informal conversations with 18 professionals and experts. While the original proposal planned to survey students directly, the research shifted to interviewing educators and practitioners, enabling more practical insights from classroom environments.
The interview framework was developed in collaboration with journalist Sweta Daga, whose work focuses on gender, livelihoods, and environmental issues.
Interview data was analysed against seven years of experience training start-up brands in natural dyeing, alongside insights from more than 20 interns who undertook internships at ColorAshram under the researcher’s supervision. This helped identify and systematically interpret emerging themes.
Secondary research focused on observing industry led enquiries and reports, consolidating the learnings from international sustainable textile events (Future Fabrics Expo) in last two years, and publications like ‘To Dye For’ by Alden Wicker
Research Phases
Phase 1: Establishing Research Framework and Primary Research
Undertaking a literature review on sustainable dyeing, textile education, and the environmental impact of conventional dyes
Informal conversations with professionals and experts to gather their experiences with natural dyeing and sustainable fashion
Designing a 60-minute semi-structured interview framework
Conducting nine interviews with fashion educators, sustainability specialists, and natural-dyeing practitioners
Analysing interview findings and identifying key themes of curriculum gaps, preferred learning formats, and uncertainty around viable career pathways within sustainable textile practices
Phase 2: Script Development
Developing five interconnected scripts that were designed as a composite educational journey and integrated themes of consumer agency, responsibility, and sustainable career pathways for practitioners
Incorporating expert contributions from industrial natural-dye pioneer Arun Baid, and textile professional and author Monoleena Banerjee, to strengthen the scientific and historical content, and industry insights, of the scripts
Production planning, location scouting and crew confirmation for video shoots
Left: Natural dyeing of different fabric qualities in shades produced from a Flame of the Forest dye bath; ColorAshram
Right: Madder-dyed fabric swatches of different qualities, iron-mordanted prior to dyeing; ColorAshram
Phase 3:Video Production
Filming the life cycle of colours, dyes and textiles at the Biome–ColorAshram retail space and the Truetone Ink production facility in Mysuru — led by filmmaker Souharda Sivasou, his team, and Mayank Bhutoria
Recording expert interviews and demonstrations featuring Arun Baid and eco-print artist–educator Shraddha Barde, in addition to a closing dance sequence
Integrating original footage with licensed archival, historical, and scientific visual material
Still-photography and royalty-free music selection for all five educational videos
A pomegranate dyed t-shirt being over-dyed with indigo; Souharda Sivasou for ColorAshram
Left: Hand painting with Truetoneink natural dye pastes on organic cotton mordanted with iron salt; Mayank Bhutoria for ColorAshram
Right: Leaf impression print with Truetoneink natural dye pastes on organic cotton mordanted with iron salt; Mayank Bhutoria for ColorAshram
Phase 4: Production of Companion Resources and Video Post-Production
Producing five long-form articles to accompany and expand upon the research presented in each film
Compiling a reference library of books, films, academic literature, and industry publications consulted throughout the Fellowship
Preparing written resources that complement the videos and provide educators with assignable teaching material
Post-production to ensure cohesion and consistency in the five-film series titled Understanding Colours — including editing, colour grading, sound design, subtitling, and end-credit attribution
Producing a unified learning resource designed to support classroom teaching, self-directed learning, and wider public engagement with sustainable textiles and natural dyes
Contributors:
Project Lead
Namrata Bhutoria
Experts and Interviewees
Santosh Kocherlakota — Assistant Professor at the School of Design Innovation, Mahindra University, Hyderabad
Aboli Naik — Assistant Professor, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Mumbai
Carmen Artigas — Climate-Positive Fashion Consultant
Annalise Dunn — Designer
Monoleena Banerjee — Natural-Dye Educator
Shraddha Barde — Eco-Print Artist; Visiting Faculty, School of Fashion Technology (SOFT), Pune
Tasneem Lohani — Visiting Professor of Art History, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bengaluru
Dr Toolika Gupta — Director, Indian Institute of Crafts and Design (IICD), Jaipur
Varun Shashni — Faculty at National Institute of Design (NID), Gandhinagar
Prerna Nataraj — Designer
Interviewers
Namrata Bhutoria
Sweta Daga
Production and Project Support
Souharda Sivasou and team — Filming and editing
Sweta Daga — Initial script brainstorming
Arya Mallakara — Assisting Set design
Truetone Ink team — Production space
Mayank Bhutoria — Project guidance
Nainy Tailor — Production support
Sulendar Mahato — Production support
Actors and On-screen Contributors
Aarshiyaa Singh
Arya Mallakara
Darshana Rows
Arun Baid
Namrata Bhutoria
Audio
Souharda Sivasou — Male voiceover
Challenges and Adaptations
Like many research-led projects undertaken within a fixed grant period, the Fellowship required a number of practical adaptations while maintaining its original objectives.
The foremost challenge arose during the research phase. The original proposal envisaged direct engagement with students through surveys; however, coordinating participation within the project timeline proved difficult. The methodology was therefore adapted to focus on interviews with educators and practitioners, who were able to provide broader perspectives on curriculum gaps, learning needs, and industry expectations. This approach also allowed participating faculty to share the project’s early concepts with their own students, strengthening the long-term educational relevance of the resource.
Additionally, the research revealed an overlap between the planned themes of consumer education and career pathways in sustainable textile-production. Rather than developing these as separate modules, the scripts were revised to integrate ideas of agency and responsibility, and routes to professional opportunities, throughout the five-part series. This preserved the original structure while creating a more comprehensive learning journey.
Another challenge was in representing the historical, scientific, and industrial dimensions of colour within a visual medium. Achieving this required careful integration of original footage with licensed material, as well as public-domain imagery and references to ensure that complex concepts remained both accurate and accessible.
Research Outcomes
The final result was a free and thoughtfully curated research-based educational resource titled Understanding Colours, which included:
A five-part video series comprising the following videos:
The Dark Side of Colour: The history of colour and the development of the dye industry
The True Cost of Synthetic Colour: Environmental and human impacts of synthetic dyes
Peeling the Onion: Sustainability, reform, and the complexity of systemic change
Seeing Is Believing: Industrial-scale natural dyeing and contemporary practice
What Can Be Dyed in the Kitchen: A practical introduction to natural-dyeing techniques
Five companion articles that assist the learning content of each video
A curated reference library comprising books, films, and 28 academic and industry sources
Nine expert interviews forming the project’s primary research archive
Together, these resources provide learners with both conceptual understanding and practical knowledge, while offering educators materials that can be readily utilised in teaching environments.
Impact and Future Outputs
Beyond the production of educational materials, the project contributes to wider conversations around sustainability in textile education by demonstrating that environmental responsibility can be taught through a cross-disciplinary approach that brings together insights from history, science, craft, and industry. By presenting sustainability as a practical and creative process rather than an abstract concept, the research outcomes seek to encourage more informed and conscious approaches to textile production among the next generation of designers and makers.
In-person event hosted by Impart: Through Impressions of the Forest: Plants in Prints and Pigments — an in-person event based on the Fellowship and its research outcomes — Namrata introduced participants to eco-printing using locally foraged botanicals and natural pigments on fabric. Reflecting on themes explored during her year-long project, she shared insights into natural dyeing and eco-printing, and their potential to support more sustainable approaches to contemporary textile design.
Tie-dye processing of a white t-shirt; Souharda Sivasou for ColorAshram
Pomegranate being peeled to use the skin as dyeing agent; Souharda Sivasou for ColorAshram
