The industry of fabric dyes and their longevity shows significant increases in their production and purchase over the coming years. With the increasing fast-fashion and apparel industry experiencing profound growth in multiple sectors, the availability and methods of fabric dyes to color those clothes have experienced greater necessity. Fabric dyes are also utilized in home furniture, as the ability to color and dye certain textiles makes pieces more engaging and colorful. This piece intends to tell you different craftsmanship of dyeing cloth.
Fashion brands experiencing the boom of inventory demand based off of consumer needs stems largely from social media culture and promotion. The fashion and apparel industry accounted for the largest market share in textile industry, accounting for almost 50% of the market in 2018. Brands like Fashion Nova, White Fox Couture, Lulus, and the like, have a fast-fashion market, where consumers view sponsored clothing on platforms like Instagram, and offer discounts on already less expensive clothing pieces. Clothing is produced in bulk and sold quickly at high rates of increase.
Consumer preferences are also in the direction of luxury spending, with millions of dollars being pumped daily into personal lifestyles, both with regards to home and fashion. Individuals have more disposable income and purchasing trends of that disposable income lean toward fashion and home.
Additionally, branded collaborations between brands and social media influencers are often based on a limited quantity basis of producing a specified number of outfits or pieces and selling out as quickly as possible. This exponential growth directly impacts the demand for fabric dyes to be made and produced as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Textile and fabric dyes are produced at the cost of significant amounts of water, whether natural or chemical based dyes. One source identifies that for every kilogram of textile produced, between 100 and 150 litres of water are consumed, indicating the environmental impact is significant.
In an effort to make the production of dye more cost-effective, some producers are utilizing nano-technolgoy to aid in the production process. This is designed to positively impact the sustainability of both synthetic and natural dyes.
Natural Dyes
Along with the increased demand for textile and fabric dyes, specific emphasis on the preference for natural dyes is also experiencing significant increase and growth. Brands of the last decade, both in fashion and in general, have a focused emphasis on producing environmentally friendly products, with a corporate emphasis on social ethics. This environmental focus has led to some brands preferring the use of natural dyes on their products.
Natural dyes, exclusive of fabric dyes as a whole, are projected to generate close to $5 billion in revenue by the year 2024. Natural dyes are often created with less pollution and waste than traditional chemical dyes. Additionally, natural dyes are observed to be better for the body, introducing it to fewer chemicals and decreasing potential.
Organic products are on the rise, as are natural and sustainable products. The downside to this trend, however, is that sustainable and natural products are often far more expensive to produce and manufacture than the synthesized version of them.
For example, one of the primary resources for natural dyes include those which are plant-based. Dyes made from fruits, vegetables, berries, flowers, spices or roots are some of the biggest providers. Variations of fruits and berries can produce vivid colors, like grape skin to produce shades of purple, avocado stones can produce shades of pink, pomegranate skills can produce shades of yellow and beets produce powerful shades of red. Spices like turmeric can create vibrant shades of yellow or orange, black beans can produce blue tones.
As they are made from natural and organic organisms, one of the downsides of natural dyes from fruits or vegetables is that there may be a greater chance of fading occurring over time, depending on the method of production. Some of these dyes can be so simple to produce on a very small scale, that individuals can dye fabrics themselves.
On a larger scale of production, companies working to produce natural dyes place an emphasis on producing natural dyes in a wide variety of shades and with depth of color. With natural dyes having a more organic appearance, tones can often appear faded or lighter than more synthetic dyes. Additionally, these companies want to produce tones that do not fade as quickly, and that have the same washing durability as synthetic dyes do.
The cost of producing these dyes can be expensive, as they rely on the growth of produce and spices, which can sometimes vary based on climate. Crop failures can impact the availability of the foods that are used to make these dyes. These can all contribute to rising costs and low-yield color values.
For natural dyes in particular, in 2018, the United States comprised the largest market share, with an annual growth rate of 7%. This growth is driven somewhat by the fashion and apparel sector, but also the beauty industry as companies work to produce more natural health and skincare products for consumers. In addition to this, natural dyes are utilized in the pharmaceutical industry and the food and beverage industry.
Chemical Dyes
Chemical and synthetic based dyes are more commonly used than natural dyes. They are easier and more cost efficient to produce in a mass-produced format. They don’t take as long to manufacture and are a bit more reliable in their color consistency, depth and range. They tend to last longer, since they are synthetically devised to endure washing and long periods of time.
The production of these dyes more specifically comes from smaller developing countries, and has a significant economic impact there. However, China and India are two larger producers as well, although the economic impact of synthetic dyes on these two nations is significantly smaller than the economic impact on the smaller developing nations.
On a global scale, synthetic dyes in particular accounted for just under $32 billion in revenue for 2019, with a projected growth of over $50 billion in revenue expected by 2023. That growth, however, is still expected to face smaller growth than previous years (while still increasing) because of the increasing demand for harsh chemicals to be removed from synthetic dyes.
Because of the negative impact of these chemicals on the environment and the human body, some countries have begun to ban the production of it, which contributes to a slower growth for the synthetic dye market.
Some of the biggest countries producing synthetic dyes include India and China, as already mentioned, as well as South Africa, and Brazil. These countries are able to produce larger quantities of the synthetic dyes because of the abundance of natural resources to produce these dyes and the inexpensive labor needed to manufacture them.
Dye-Trends
One of the biggest and most recent fabric dye trends in recent months has been tie-dye. Between 2019 and 2020, tie-dye clothing and apparel has seen significant emergence in both high-end fashion and home-made fashion.
Tie-dye is a specific coloring technique that is produced by folding and wrinkling fabrics up while scattering dye over the fabric is in various colors and without any sort of specific organization. The effect is often vibrant and highly unique, as it is nearly impossible to create identical tie-dye products. The print originated as a hippy print in the 60’s and 70’s, and it is often seen to represent freedom, energy, peace and carefree attitudes.
It firstly began reappearing in 2019 during New York Fashion Week. As a trending color, on some of the highest name brands appearing in shows. During the early months of 2020, it hit the fast fashion stage remarkably quick, fast becoming a common staple amongst casual and lounge wear clothing amongst influencers and mass produced apparel brands.
A large part of the appeal of tie-dye techniques is simply the fact that the final product is unpredictable and unexpected. The lack of control and surprising outcome of the technique makes it a unique and uncertain process. It emphasizes a universal and modern attitude of carefree attitudes and lack of control over the future. It also evokes individuality and personal creative expression, also popular attitudes in modern fashion.
As high fashion and modern apparel both embrace the more natural and environmentally sustainable production of fashion, tie-dye became a way to add an element of trendy and original color elements to clothing that has the potential to be within the realm of environmentally friendly material.
Fabric Dyes and DIY
As individuals are looking to fill their time with worthwhile endeavors, do-it-yourself projects and at-home crafts are another popular reason for increasing use of fabric dyes. As mentioned previously, the tie-dye technique has been a significant presence in the fashion world, which is a trend that spills over into the craft and home DIY industry as well.
The ease of tie-dye means it is a common item found in most crafting and arts stores. Kits are available where parents can buy and complete the process with their family. Small business owners are using it to dye their apparel on a small scale production.
Additionally, fabric dyes are common in other areas of crafts and DIY as well. Common craft products that consumers use with fabric dyes include: hats, bags, canvas hangings, posters, shoes, laces, jackets, caps, t-shirts, sweaters or sweatshirts, blankets, socks or any common material made from a cotton-based item.
For this reason, craft stores are a large consumer of fabric dyes as they market and sell the tools to allow for individual consumers to purchase and create their own materials.
Fabric Dyes and Sustainability
One key change in the dye industry market is the shift toward sustainability and the impact these changes have on production, availability and costs worldwide. One such concern with environmental factors involving fabric dye is that of traditional denim dyes. Currently in production are more effective measures to produce denim colors using the indigo dyeing process. As it stands, the process to produce denim dye requires extensive amounts of salt in the proces, so newer processes have been designed to make the dye stick with far less salt required.
Additionally, some of the most common materials used in conjunction with fabric dyes are cotton, wool, polyester and viscose. Certain fabrics are more environmentally sustainable to manufacture than others. Additionally, the different materials absorb the colors to different extents. Polyester and wool are far easier to dye and maintain colorado than viscose and cotton.
Newer dye processes also aim to decrease energy as well as water during the process. Whereas water often acts as a solvent to help the dye fixate into the fabric, the energy output required to heat the fabrics to absorb the dye can also be costly in the long run. Efforts to reduce both of these result in more cost effective and more efficient dyes.
Screen printing is another process of dying fabric that is less traditional than using colors to dye the fabric. This process often involves printing the colors onto fabrics using digital machines, which also utilize far less water and chemicals than traditional dye processes. However, they too can be more costly in the energy component.
Overall, expect to see increases with the demand for natural dyes, synthetic dyes and growing trends towards producing dyes in a more sustainable fashion, as the industry of home decor, fashion and fabrics are looking for new ways to print materials and colors with their products.
