Join us for our 3rd annual Color Colloquium, hosted by Slow Fiber Studios (SFS) and the University of California Botanical Garden (UCBG) at Berkeley. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn the latest perspectives in sustainable natural dye practices. Explore ancient traditions from around the world to unlock the potential of natural colors without mineral mordants. This year we have four excellent speakers from around the world who will share their work with plants and natural dyes. UCBG Program Coordinator Deepa Natarajan will introduce the speakers, and SFS Founder Yoshiko Wada will moderate the panel.

Registration required:  $40, $35 UCBG members

The recording will be accessible for two months!

PURCHASE TICKETS FROM UCBG

About the Speakers

Michel Garcia

Presentation: Beyond Mordants: Toward a Truly Botanical Dye Pot

Michel Garcia is a world-renowned botanist, chemist, naturalist, and natural dye expert. He founded Couleur Garance (1998) in Lauris, France, and established Le Jardin Conservatoire de Plantes Tinctoriales (Botanical Garden of Dye Plants) in 2000 as a horticultural resource for chemists, natural dye researchers, and botanists. He has been leading the way in revitalizing the natural dye practice in France and abroad and published a series of educational Natural Dye Workshop DVDs on sustainable practice with Yoshiko I. Wada of Slow Fiber Studios.

Eber Lopes Ferreira

Presentation: Indigenous Dyes of Brazil

A specialist in natural dyes, Eber Lopes Ferreira is the research director and associate partner for ETNO BOTANICA. A textile designer working in both the handcraft and industrial sectors, Eber conducts research on industrial applications of natural dyes and serves as a senior consultant on national sustainable development projects. With ETNO BOTANICA, Eber works to create natural dye products for traditional populations and small family farmers following principles of environmental and social responsibility.

Sarah Bellos

Presentation: Perspectives on Indigofera suffruticosa, a Sustainable Indigo?

Sarah Bellos is CEO and founder of Stony Creek Colors and a leader in the sustainable textile and agriculture fields for the past 10 years. She is widely appreciated for supporting farmers in the Southeastern U.S. in the efficient and profitable agricultural production of dye plants. In 2015, Bellos was awarded the Young Entrepreneur Award by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists.  Indigofera suffruticosa or Anil is native to the subtropical and tropical Americas, including the southern United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as northern Argentina. This species has been widely introduced to other parts of the world and today has a pantropical distribution. It is an erect branching shrub growing to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall with pinnate leaves, and is commonly found growing in dry, highly disturbed areas.

Kazuki Yamazaki

Presentation: Traditions and Modern Use of Benibana, Safflower Dye

Dr. Kazuki Yamazaki is a 3rd-generation natural dyer. His family has specialized in  traditional dye processes, which they have meticulously researched back to the Japanese Heian Dynasty (more than a thousand years ago). He is a highly respected practitioner, author, and teacher on natural dyes, especially on Japanese traditional colors. Benibana or Carthamus tinctorius, has been a coveted source for red in cosmetics and textile dyeing in Japan.