Companion Wear
100 % Hemp – 100 % Reseda Dye – think collectively
As a counterpart to the denim jacket, the hemp jacket is made from a regional plant trilogy – hemp, reseda and clover united in a sustainable cultivation community. The starting point of the research is to counteract the environmentally damaging monoculture. How can the proven advantages of intercropping be utilised and how can this idea be translated into the process of designing products? The result of the resilient plant collective is a colour code – the symbiosis on the field materialises in the textile. Companion Wear explores the unexplored potential and opportunities of hemp fibres and the natural dye reseda.
student: | Camille von Gerkan |
project: | The Plant Project – Resilience Part II |
year: | 2024 |
My research into mixed cultivation methods, companion planting and regional fibre plants has led me to my own speculative plant collective. A regional fibre plant, alongside a long-forgotten dye plant and, as a complement, the companion plant clover. Mixed cultivation offers numerous benefits, including promoting soil fertility and reducing the need for chemical fertilisers through the natural nitrogen fixation of certain plants. It also increases yield stability and biodiversity, as different plants utilise different ecological niches and therefore strengthen the entire ecosystem. The ‘milpa’ is a traditional agricultural system of the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica that is based on the principle of mixed cultivation. Corn, beans and pumpkin – the ‘three sisters’ – are grown together. This system utilises the natural interactions of the plants: The corn provides a structure for the climbing beans, which in turn fix nitrogen in the soil and thus increase soil fertility, while the pumpkin covers the soil with its sprawling leaves and suppresses weed growth. This combination improves soil health, promotes biodiversity and reduces the need for chemical fertilisers and pesticides. In addition, the diversity of the crops grown ensures increased yield stability and a balanced diet, as corn, beans and pumpkin together provide a variety of essential nutrients. Milpa is a sustainable subsistence farming system that offers valuable insights for modern agroecological approaches.
The aim of ‘Companion Wear’ is to show the potential of collective thinking. On the one hand in the cultivation of plants, but also beyond that as a tool for design. At the same time, my experiments are intended to demonstrate and communicate the opportunities and qualities of regional and resilient plants, hemp and reseda as a resource.
Hemp fibre textiles are extremely durable and resistant, resulting in durable products. Hemp grows quickly, requires little water and no pesticides, making it an environmentally friendly source of raw materials. The textiles are breathable and moisture-regulating, antimicrobial and offer protection from sunlight, making them comfortable to wear. Reseda offers several positive properties as a natural dye. It provides bright and stable yellow tones that are highly valued in textile dyeing. As an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic dyes, reseda is biodegradable and free from harmful chemicals, is very light and wash resistant, making it suitable for practical applications. I experimented with hemp textiles and reseda in the university’s dyeing and textile printing workshop. The result was a series of experiments with fabric samples. I used different mordants for the initial dyeing, dyed textiles and yarn completely. Additionally, I produced screen printing paste with reseda extract and printed my own patterns on to the textiles. My result is a counterpart to the denim jeans jacket, a regional hemp jacket with its own yellow ‘reseda wash’. My project is a suggestion of how to take inspiration from regional resources in the design process and look for ‘companions’ along the way.
