English Home

STEFANO PANCONESI

Born in Florence and with a degree in Economic Studies - his graduation thesis was on the marketing of dye plants - Stefano Panconesi has inherited from his father a life-long passion for natural dyeing. For over twenty years he has been active in promoting both the industrialization of natural dyeing and organic textiles.
Over the years, through his own firm PAI and then as a free-lance consultant, he has been researching natural dyes, their sources, uses and local traditions. He has studied historical recipes and textile materials, and the application of dyeing techniques to the textile industry.
He also knows eco-friendly, non-polluting materials and products suitable for industry. As a GOTS inspector he is an expert in all that concerns the legal aspects of sustainability.

NATURAL DYES

Natural dyeing means using parts of plants, minerals and also insects to give color to textiles. It is an extremely old practice, which was virtually abandoned in the 1850s when synthetic dyes became available.

In the dyeing process, which is physical as well as chemical, each natural fiber reacts differently, determining a tonal difference in the color obtained; dyes react more intensely with animal (protein) fibers, while with vegetable (cellulose) fibers yield lighter, more muted colors.
Unlike chemical dyes, where a single dye molecule is synthesized, natural dyes, most of which are of vegetable origin, are formed by several dye molecules, resulting in more vibrant colors. The dyestuff can be either the whole plant or parts of it in crushed or powdered form; (certified) extracts are now also used, to simplify the dyeing process and make industrial stockage easier. Natural dyes are eminently eco-friendly, as they derive from renewable sources. Each plant can yield a considerable number of shades through the use of mordants, mineral salts and vegetable tannins.

Although the position of the textile industry vis-à-vis the use of natural dyes has changed considerably in recent years, we have not witnessed so far any large-scale production, mainly because of poor understanding and limited acceptance of some of their characteristics, namely lower light fastness than with synthetic dyes, lower uniformity of shade and poor reproducibility. However the advantage of natural colours is their origin from healthy natural sources which do not use fossil resources and do not leave behind residues that are harmful to health. The difficulty in obtaining standardized cromatic effects makes them suitable to a semi-artisanal production of enterprises operating on a relatively limited scale but strong in research, personalization and uniqueness.

STUDY

Preparation of a Natural Color Chart to be dyed on your own materials: yarns, fabrics, garments, and using our own technologies.

Final presentation at your company’s premises of a feasibility project which will be key to evaluating the move from study to production.

INDUSTRIALIZATION

Production Assistance: according to the actual needs of a company, production assistance in dyeing stock, yarns, pieces, finished garment and leather and in printing can be given either at the company’s own dyeing plant or through reliable professional dyeworks.

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION

Packaging and Labeling: naturally dyed products require special care when displayed for selling.

Printed or digitalized information to accompany products.

FAIRS AND EVENTS

Promotion: assistance to firms and companies during national and international trade fairs, with computer-supported presentations.

SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES

Sustainability in the textile industry is no longer just a trend: it is now a new ethical dimension with its rightful place on the market and no longer to be seen as just a marketing strategy.
Once considered an added value, sustainability is nowadays an integral part of the path each textile company has to take; information about the virtuous path chosen requires marketing, which works only if there is a real commitment on the part of a company.

Supplying raw materials and quality are essential, but they should go hand in hand with respect for internationally recognized standards of social and environmental responsibility throughout the whole supply chain. Information should be given not just about the components of the materials used but also their origin in crops and breeding farms, through methods of traceability and following guidelines, international conventions, human and workers’ rights declarations, environment conservation and biodiversity. Moreover, in today’s circular economy the chain of production of eco-sustainable garments should include the mode of their final disposal.

In order to satisfy increasingly informed and aware customers, demanding environment-friendly and socially responsible garments, companies should pay more attention to communication and use suitable means including not only the certification provided by specialized certified bodies, but also the use of social media. All this should result in labels which would reveal the garments’ supply chain and their whole history.

There is still a bit too much reserve in the Italian textile scene. Companies should come out with a clear and transparent message on their eco-sustainable programs.
Brands are often reluctant to reveal their suppliers, whose names do not appear on the finished garment, because they believe that their brands by themselves are a guarantee of respect of rules.

STUDY

After collaborating with the most important Italian and international certifìying bodies both as an inspector and as a promoter, I now offer assistance to companies wishing to obtain a GOTS certification.

RAW MATERIALS AND TOOLS

In my thirty-year long activity as a researcher and operator in the field of organic raw materials, natural dyes and finishing processes suitable to industrial dye plants I have gathered contacts with suppliers from all over the world and can provide natural dyes either as the whole plant or in crushed form or as extracts, and natural and organic textile fibers, such as wool, silk, linen, hemp and small quantities of other less common fibers. Through my research on old and modern dyeing manuals and encounters with dyeing masters I have met during my travels, I have studied various techniques of natural dyeing and developed dyeing processes which can be applied to existing dyeworks by adapting their plants or by introducing specially designed machinery.

CERTIFIED NATURAL DYES AS EXTRACTS OR IN CRUSHED FORM

FINISHING PRODUCTS

YARNS AND FABRICS IN CERTIFIED ORGANIC MATERIALS

PLANNING AND MATERIALS FOR DYE WORKS

EVENTS-PORTFOLIO

EVENTS | One aspect of my job is to give lectures and organize, or take part in, conferences, trade fairs, exhibitions, etc.

PORTFOLIO | My work begins with a study of the raw material provided by the customer or obtained through joint research; the more complex its structure, with different fibers and textures, the more fascinating the end result. I then create a color chart either by working with a single plant/color or trying to recreate the colors required by the customer by mixing different plants. The next step is the sample bath and checking the result for fastness to light, perspiration, friction, etc., before moving on to production.
Once the product is finalized, we design a market strategy and packaging for its presentation in trade fairs, including information on the particular production process.

VIDEO

From the documentary “Francesco Datini da Prato” by director Tommaso Santi

PRESS

TEXTURES

I colori della natura. Una conversazione con Stefano Panconesi

di Pietro Ferrari
read here

CONTACTS

TELEPHONE

+39 348 3326570