Local Production and Consumption
Just as local agriculture and food production have embraced sustainable practices by using local ingredients and promoting local consumption, the textile industry is beginning to follow this trend through the production of natural dyes and fabrics. The Blue Monkey project aims to contribute to this movement by advocating for the use of local dyes, such as indigo, and by applying these materials to locally sourced garments.
By focusing on local production and consumption, we aim to address issues like carbon emissions and water waste associated with mass textile production. While local fiber production faces significant challenges, particularly in terms of large-scale output, we propose repurposing discarded garments as local resources for dyeing, which helps address the problem of textile waste and the harmful chemicals used in conventional dyeing processes.
Future Project
Creating an Indigo Dyeing Hub in the garden in Amsterdam is one of our long-term goals. The garden presents a unique opportunity to bring together people who enjoy working with nature. Our vision is to establish a permanent Indigo Dyeing Garden in Amsterdam, providing a dedicated space for local residents to connect with nature and explore the art of indigo dyeing.
- Expanding the Indigo Garden in Amsterdam Noord: We aim to expand the indigo garden by securing more space for cultivation, particularly within other Schooltuin locations. We also plan to seek collaboration with community gardens to further increase our indigo cultivation capacity.
- Establish Indigo Dyeing Spaces in Each Garden: Each participating garden will have its own dedicated indigo space, allowing for increased harvests year after year.
- Collaborative Dyeing with Neighbors: We will involve the local community in the process of creating indigo colors and dyeing garments together, strengthening community ties through shared experiences.
- Annual Dyeing of Garments: By re-dyeing garments each year, their value increases over time as they become enriched with the history and layers of color added by each new dyeing process.
