Tinto di Blu: the NABA project with Repower

Once the “powder” needed for dyeing was obtained, NABA students, guided by the Textile Lab team on the Milan campus, soaked samples with the “fruits” of cultivation, to experiment with the effect of light. Several types of textile fibres, as well as two denim samples, were tested to study how light absorption capacity influences the dyeing properties of the plants, in order to understand whether different cultivation conditions can lead to different chromatic outcomes.

“Tinto di blu. Agrivoltaico ed erbe tintorie, in viaggio tra energia, moda e innovazione”, a symposium in two sessions

The subsequent symposium “Tinto di blu. Agrivoltaico ed erbe tintorie, in viaggio tra energia, moda e innovazione”, moderated by Chiara Tronville (journalist and NABA lecturer), took place in two main moments. In the morning, the official presentation of the research was held. After an introduction by the moderator, the partners involved in the project spoke: Fabio Bocchiola (CEO of Repower Italia); Giacomo Cocetta (Associate Professor at the University of Milan) and Valentina Ferrarini (Head of the Officina del Colore Naturale). For NABA, Colomba Leddi (Fashion Design Area Leader) and Salvatore Averzano (Textile Laboratory Manager) took part to describe the educational and experimental approach that involved the Academy’s students. A contribution by Marco Ceroni (CEO of Repower Renewable) was also included, along with interventions from Chiara Trevisan (Elettrostudio) and Marco Piccolo (Azienda Agricola Castelguglielmo).

The discussion session concluded with the screening of a 12-minute documentary, which took the audience through the key stages of the project: from cultivation using agrivoltaic practices – a technique integrating agricultural production and solar energy generation – in the Repower field, to the exploration of the potential of natural dyeing applied to iconic materials, through an experimental and sustainable approach. The outcomes of the laboratory experience, in which colour became both a narrative language and a tool for environmental reflection, were presented to the public during the symposium: a textile dyeing sample collection, two indigo-dyed trousers, a textile installation, and the publication “24 Blues” which encapsulates the entire project.

In the afternoon, an open discussion took place with representatives from the worlds of research, production, and design. Two round tables explored the topics in depth: the first, dedicated to dialogue between agriculture and industry, addressed supply chain prospects, with particular attention to scalability of cultivation, reliability of colour yield and economic sustainability of processes; the second, focused on design and education, investigated the cultural and design impact of natural pigments, the challenges of their durability and the way in which the introduction of sustainable dyeing practices can transform both the perception of product value and academic training models.

The round tables involved agronomists, textile companies, industrial and artisanal dye houses, fashion brands, lecturers and researchers, creating a space where different disciplines and perspectives could converge on a common issue: what are the real possibilities of bringing the use of natural pigments from the laboratory to the industrial supply chain, and what impact could such a process have on the entire fashion ecosystem?