Back To The Land

When Hyun Jin Jeong talks about earth-coloured clothes, she's not kidding. The Central St. Martins student based her Master's thesis on the ancient and largely forgotten art of earth dyeing.

Using soils from different regions, Hyun found that she could create colours of surprising vibrancy, from rich reds to buttery yellows.

Troubled by the toxic legacy of chemical processes in the textile-dyeing industry, she took soil from areas ranging across the UK and her home region of South Korea, categorising them into different colour palattes and finding a method to apply soil-based paints directly to fabric. The results are delicately beautiful.

Hyun says:

"My vision of textile futures is the re-discovery of everyday materials from nature. There are many different natural materials that were once used but are now forgotten. I think rediscovering these materials and using them wisely is essential for a sustainable future."

Read more about Hyun Jin Jeong on the Central St. Martin's Textile Futures blog, and on her own Earth Dyeing site.