Samenvatting

This research aims to evaluate the potential of using natural dyes to achieve black on cotton and viscose fabrics. The objective is to find a more sustainable alternative to traditional synthetic dyes for fashion designers. This is achieved
through testing dye recipes, color visual and RGB value analysis, colorfastness testing, price and scalability calculations, and interviews with industry experts. Different methods were compared with each other and with fiber-reactive dyes based on their color depth, colorfastness properties, environmental and health impact, scalability, and market potential. The research found that gallnut, iron, and logwood posed the biggest opportunity due to their excellent washfastness (4), higher than commercially available fiber reactive dyes (3), and deepest shade measured by RGB value (35,35,35). Gallnut, iron, and pomegranate showed potential for viscose fabric, where it achieved the second deepest shade of black (42,42,42) and the best lightfastness (5) of all dyes. Viscose has been found to develop deeper shades from gallnut and iron, though more testing (of multiple types of viscose and cotton fibers) would need to be done to confirm this. The outcomes of this paper offer advice to fashion designers for more sustainable black dye as well as contribute to advancing research into the potential of natural dyes within the fashion industry.