In the years after Rachel Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring shone a spotlight on the horrific impacts of pesticide use, public attention in World 2 shifted to chemical textile dyestuffs. A series of high-profile disasters, coinciding with a period of unprecedented international cooperation, led to a drastic measure: a worldwide ban on synthetic dyes.
Forced to regroup, the fashion industry attempted to focus the public’s attention on silhouette and construction. Yet wearers found they could not live without colour and pattern. A diverse range of intentional staining practices emerged, drawing on traditional dyeing knowledge and each carrying complex social meanings.
1962 年，Rachel Carson 出版的著作《寂静的春天》(Silent Spring) 揭露了使用杀虫剂的灾难性后果。多年后，在第 2 个世界中，人们转而关注化学纺织染料。当时国际合作空前活跃，一连串屡见报端的灾难催生了一项严苛的禁令：全球禁用合成染料。
时装业被迫重整旗鼓，设法将公众的注意力集中在廓形和结构设计上。然而，穿着者很快认识到他们的生活离不开色彩和图案。为此，各种有意染色的做法应运而生，这些做法借鉴了传统染色知识，每一种都承载着复杂的社会意义。
What if …
we couldn’t use synthetic dyes, and had to find other ways of colouring and decorating our clothes?
Issue targeted:
environmental and human impact of synthetic dye effluent and associated chemicals
Inspiration:
an array of traditional and contemporary approaches to colouring fabrics without synthetic dyes
This World was contributed by Amy Twigger Holroyd (located in Nottingham, UK) using a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence which allows others to share and adapt the work in any medium and for any purpose, providing that they credit the author and share their material using the same Creative Commons licence.
Related Explorations
Response to World 2
Of The Handmaid’s Tale, where part of the political conservatism led to traditional and clean techniques, including textiles and clothing, only natural fibers. Its more clear in the book than in the series.
– Ileana Jalil Kentros
Does this World remind you of something?
I am keen to hear about any historical or contemporary real-world examples – whether individual practices, subcultures or mainstream activities – that this fiction brings to mind.
Please share any such examples using this form. Thank you!