Textile Stories: Workshop #2
30 August 2025
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Textile dyeing: colour your clothes with a story.
Do you have a garment you'd love to give a new lease of life? Perhaps it reminds you of someone, a place, a moment? In this workshop, guided by designer Igor Ilanga, you’ll be working with natural indigo.
Colour your memory
What’s the story behind that one piece of clothing that’s been hanging in your wardrobe for years? In this workshop, personal stories take centre stage. Igor Ilanga invites you to reconnect with your memories by giving the garment a new colour. You’ll learn to work with indigo, a deep blue dye with a rich cultural and historical background. As it dries, the fabric shifts from yellow to green to deep blue.
Practical information
Bring a light-coloured garment without too much print (think blouse, t-shirt or scarf). Clothes with a high cotton content work best. Wear something you don’t mind getting stained.
About Igor Ilanga
Igor Ilanga is a natural dyer, fashion designer, and founder of ILANGA, a sustainable studio based in Amsterdam.
He develops natural dyes from food waste such as onion skins, mango peels, and coffee grounds. His work explores the relationship between colour, ecology, and culture. His mission? To contribute to a circular future for textiles and design by making large-scale textile dyeing more sustainable. Through natural dyeing, he aims to extend the lifespan of garments and honour the stories they carry.
Kimsooja: To Breathe – Mokum
This workshop is part of the public programme accompanying the exhibition Kimsooja: To Breathe – Mokum. Using textile bundles and colourful fabrics, Kimsooja tells the story of how Amsterdam has been shaped by migration from global communities. The Oude Kerk regularly offers craft-based workshops.