Chromosustainability. Colour as an opportunity to define a new design and consumption model.

A need for change and a for a different approach to consumption is increasingly perceived in the fashion field. Such change should involve productive processes at a structural level, but above all, it should lead to a new definition of the value-dimension associated to the product. As one of the fundamental elements in clothes, colour can but be part of this re-configuration process. Colour is at the heart of alternative routes to the conventional processes performed in the industrial field. Indeed, there is an increasing interest towards natural dyeing, viewed not only as an ecological process, but also as an opportunity to outline new design variables. In this light, this paper aims at proposing scenarios in which colour can stimulate new identities and new project strategies, in which the nature/product relation would not only respond to technical and environmental needs, but it would also be the key to creating new product concepts. This can be done through the re-definition of the idea behind seasonal change, through the spread of a new aesthetics and through an increased level of perceived well-being. In order to find out what companies do in this respect, and to understand what are the motivations that led to the choice of this kind of products, this paper take into consideration some case studies from different parts of the world. This analysis led to the definition of the geographical areas showing the highest degree of interest in this kind of products. It’s also possible to identify the values which, on one hand, led these companies to the choice of working with natural dyes, and, on the other hand, motivated customers to chose this kind of products. Through this analysis we are able to provide an international overview of the natural dyeing market, to identify the segment of reference, to define its emerging value and, therefore, the communicative aura these products could build around themselves.