Kaiku
Alternative colors dyes are made out of food waste
In response to the environmentally harmful practices of fast fashion—a business model that prioritizes quick and cheaply made garments over long-lasting quality and fair workers’ wages—some brands and designers are making ethically sourced materials and manufacturing processes a production requirement. Nicole Stjernsward, a London-based design technologist, has developed a system for dyeing fabric that could soon become a critical device for companies divesting from harmful production practices. Kaiku is a project that turns fruit and vegetable peels into powder pigment. Through the use of vaporization technology, Stjernsward’s system can essentially convert what you’d normally compost into vivid colors, ripe for fabric dyeing.