Lauren Foley- BA (Hons) Textiles in Practice
I am a sustainability focused textiles designer with a deep interest in natural dyes. At the heart of my practice is process, exploration and thoughtful decision making that supports sustainable design.
My project is based around the concept of longevity and preservation. By translating my fabric samples into digital form, they can exist beyond the lifespan of physical textiles. This digital preservation captures the enjoyment, experimentation, and process behind each sample. It allows me to revisit and reuse colour without waste or environmental cost. This enables my work to evolve while remaining engrained in sustainable principles.
When applying the colours to my illustrations, each colour is showcased individually in the details whilst collectively forming a picture representing long lasting colour. For me, colour becomes a connection to nature and a memory. It is not just decorative, but essential and deeply meaningful.
Throughout the project, I embraced the slow, unpredictable nature of natural dyes. I ensured that every part of the dye process was used, creating ink from the dye bath and powder from the leftover dye material, emphasizing the idea of preservation and sustainability. Each colour carries variation and unpredictability, which drove my curiosity and pushed my experimentations further.
This project also honours history, acknowledging a time when colour was shaped entirely by nature. In contrast to modern industrial dyeing, returning to these traditional methods made me feel grounded and aligned with my values and proud to design sustainably. I have found a great passion in working with natural dyes and intend to continue exploring them to help create a more sustainable future.
