FashionLab #3

Fascinated by new alternative dyeing methods that are being developed with microbes and bacteria, and inspired by the work of Dutch artist Lizan Freijsen, who appreciates ‘ugly’ forms of decay and mould into something beautiful and valuable, I wanted to find a way to create natural colours and patterns on denim myself.

The Dutch word for denim is ‘spijkerstof’ (fabric of nails, referring to the rivets traditionally used in constructing denim garments) and that echoes the blue-collar image of the ‘spijkerbroek’ (‘nailed pants’). This association gives treating and colouring denim with metal a poetic quality to me. I also found that using rust is a method rich in layers and narratives, as it incorporates the story of the rusty object as well.

Method: I soak the denim in a mixture of water and vinegar and expose it to the rust for the minimum time of a week. The acids in the vinegar enhance the rusting process, which makes the colour penetrate the fibres deeply, leaving vibrant red rusty colours.

• The fabric is then fixed in a salt bath (the shock in Ph value fixing the colour).

• Adding tannins (tannic acids that are also used in the production of red wine) that react with the rust creates blue-black colours and spots. Both the Bossa PFD ecru fabric and the Tejidos Royo DryIndigo fabric were soaked in water + vinegar and sprinkled with tannins before being pressed (folded double) between two heavy metal road plates. They were left there for two and three weeks respectively, with the road plates still in use (meaning heavy building machinery would drive over them daily, increasing pressure).
• The Bossa ecru denim was removed after two weeks; the Royo DryIndigo (which had been already previously treated in Sahara) denim was left one week longer, as the effects of the rust were less visible on the dark denim.
• Treating it for a longer period of time deepened the textured effect of the rusty plates.
• The fabrics were also kept wet to ensure the rusting of the metal would continue into the cloth.
• Afterwards, they were carefully rinsed of rusty residue and dirt and fixed in a cold salt water bath.
• I think the rust penetrated the fibres deeply because of the time of exposure, but also because of how they were pressed between the heavy plates. The road plates were made of steel and had already been in use at the building site for quite a while. Their weathered and worn-down surfaces helped create the final patterns and textures in the fabric, making each piece unique. This also makes the process impossible to copy exactly, as the road plates are altered by the rusting process as well. Upon re-use with a piece of ecru cotton fabric, they produced completely different colour patterns.