Textile and Apparel Science

A New Purple?: Color Exploration and Extraction from the Catkins of Cottonwood Trees

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Abstract

Though the textile industry is an economic powerhouse, it remains one of the largest polluters. Water, waste and health issues are likely contributing to a renewed interest in the use of natural dyes for cellulosic fibers. However, natural dyes have a number of limiting factors, including dye plant variability and the need of a mordant to achieve colorfastness. The current research investigates the cottonwood trees purple catkins dye potential with cotton in two extraction, three mordant and four dye fixative conditions. All dye conditions rated highly on dry and wet crocking. Retayne and iDye fixatives were shown to help improve colorfastness to light. All samples displayed moderate to high colorfastness to perspiration. Colorfastness to laundering was shown to improve with the addition of dye fixatives. Further research is needed to identify the ideal conditions for the application of this dye.

Keywords: Natural Dye, Cottonwood Trees, Sustainability, Colorfastness, Cottonwood

How to Cite:

Harmon, J. & Siddika, A., (2022) “A New Purple?: Color Exploration and Extraction from the Catkins of Cottonwood Trees”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 79(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.15887