stain. Abdus Salam says waste from nearby garment factories and dye houses have polluted the water. There are no fish now, he says. The water is so polluted that our children and grandchildren cannot have the same experience.”

Asian rivers are turning black. And our colorful closets are to blame, (CNN Interview, 2020) - https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/dyeing-pollution-fashion-intl-hnk-dst-sept/index.html

This story takes its cue from an interview with Haji Muhammad Abdus Salam, a Bangladeshi farmer. He recollects playful moments by the riverbanks of his childhood, a stream now veiled in obsidian from industrial dyeing. It no longer bequeaths nurturing and purifying waters but is a wellspring of insidious illnesses in the nearby towns.

As he is overpowered by memory, we recognize the interconnectedness of all water on this planet. A black river courses and converges, evolving into a rivulet, ultimately merging with the vast ocean. It ascends, becoming a cloud—a congregation of ebony streams aloft, traversing with the winds, a burden of humanity hanging heavily in the air. Soon, it shall descend as dainty drops of fossil-laden rain. In the soil, it gathers, journeys through the earth's core, and reemerges as a purified bubbly fount of life.

All that voyages these waters shall reach us. Such is Earth's destiny, endlessly interconnected, a solitary "blue marble," a delicate marvel adrift in a boundless universal sea of darkness. A lone planet with WATER - as far as we know - from which all life has once emerged.

While black is celebrated as a symbol of elegance in the West, its origins are less glamorous. Derived from the soot of burned petroleum or recycled tires, this ‚Carbon Black‘ has long dominated the dye market. But as the world becomes more conscious of its environmental impact, there‘s a pressing need to find sustainable alternatives.

In a revolutionary step, Fashion for Good has pioneered the "Black Pigment Pilot project,"in order to develop the first plant-based dye from algae—a challenge to the belief that black cannot be naturally sourced. This season, a simple t-shirt serves as a testament to this incredible innovation and is included as a product in our story.

Other designers, like Berlin-based Simone Büchner experiment with alternative methods such as charcoal dyes, while high-end brands like 'WORKING TITLE' strive for collections entirely free of plastic—from fabrics to buttons, yarns, zippers, and even shipping materials. They are all part of this project. A parallel shift can be observed in the beauty market, where emerging cosmetic brands focus on crafting mineral oil-free black cosmetics.

This initiative extends beyond fashion. Hence, this photoshoot embodies the endeavor of small brands to catalyze positive change and single-handedly try turn things around for the better. The entire shoot is zero waste and eco-conscious, using only regional transportation, local talent, and natural light. Some images were even developed or toned using plant-based homemade solutions and paper crafted from discarded street clothing, paying homage to the ragpaper tradition exclusive to a small artisan papermill in Ahrtal/Eifel, an area devastated by climate induced floods in 2021.

The movement highlights a broader issue. Toxic black dyes are omnipresent, finding their way into products like tattoos, hair dyes, nail polish and toys, emerging as one of the most prevalent and perilous facets of fashion production and consumption. The commendable work on algae-based inks by "Living Inks" is just a beginning. As consumers and creators, we ought to dream of a purer fashion world and, with that aspiration, demand recyclable materials that bear non-toxic hues derived from nature and even food waste.