Artistic Milliners Adopts Archroma’s ‘Cleanest Sulfur Black Dye’

Angela Velasquez
·2 min read

Artistic Milliners adds another tool to its mission to reduce denim’s environmental impact.

The Pakistani vertically integrated denim manufacturer linked with Archroma to leverage the Swiss specialty chemical company’s Diresul Evolution Black dyestuff. Described as Archroma’s “cleanest sulfur black dye ever,” the product allows producers to achieve authentic black denim and washdown effects with a lower impact compared to standard Sulfur Black 1 liquid, which produces ammonia, sodium salts waste or liquid effluents.

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Diresul Evolution Black uses 58 percent fewer natural resources and produces less carbon dioxide during dye synthesis compared to standard black dyes, the company states. This reduces workers’ exposure to harmful compounds by 59 percent.

The laser-friendly dye also creates consistent effects without bronzing the color of the fabric. Artistic Milliners is now working closely with a research and innovation team from Archroma to expand its use of the new black coloration system in combination with other colors and performance effects.

“Archroma is proud to work with market leaders like Artistic Milliners to prove that denim production can have minimal environmental impact and economically viable while creating value for brands through collections that consumers crave,” said Umberto De Vita, director, denim market segment, Archroma Textile Effects.

Artistic Milliners debuted a capsule collection made with Diresul Evolution Black technology in October. The producer said the collection is “winning a strong positive reaction from global brands.”

“With decades of denim innovation, Artistic Milliners continues to push the envelope to lower the environmental impact of clothing for brands and consumers,” said Omer Ahmed, Artistic Milliners managing director. “We are enthusiastic about promoting the Diresul Evolution Black technology with our partner Archroma as a way to help our industry move towards more eco forward denim production that nurtures people and the planet.”

Making black denim more sustainable is a focal point for the supply chain.

Artistic Milliners partnered with biochemicals innovator Nature Coatings on a range of 100-percent cotton denim staples made with BioBlack TX, an alternative to petroleum-based black-tone dye. The carbon-negative black pigment is derived from industrial wood waste that comes from sustainably managed, certified sources.

Orta and AGI Denim have introduced the pigment into their fabric collections as well.

In October, Spanish mill Textil Santanderina also bowed a fabric collection made with Diresul Evolution Black.