"Charlotte Linton uniquely focuses on the complex nexus of political, environmental, and cultural factors informing local craft practices, which provides a nuanced understanding of the role of local communities in the pursuit of sustainable fashion. What is so very exciting about this book is that Linton offers a subtle critique of approaches to sustainability in the global North without reifying efforts to maintain dyeing practices among communities living in the shadows of the global textile and fashion industry. This timely and much-needed book is certain to be a huge success." - Susanne Kuechler, Professor of Art and Anthropology, University College London<br /><br />"By studying a tiny textile workshop on a remote Japanese island, Charlotte Linton reveals the challenges and rewards of working toward sustainably producing goods. Throwing into relief the conflict between this desire and the economic and environmental exigencies that hinder it, Linton recognizes that there is no silver bullet solution to sustaining traditional crafts in the modern postindustrial world, nor is there a neat division between tradition and innovation. She provokes readers of this timely and outstanding book to reflect on how craft practitioners navigate the uncertainties of modernity." - Christine M. E. Guth, author of <em>Craft Culture in Early Modern Japan: Materials, Makers, and Mastery</em>

In Dyeing with the Earth, Charlotte Linton explores the intersection of small-scale traditional craft production with contemporary sustainability practices. Focusing on natural textile dyeing on the southern Japanese island of Amami Ōshima, Linton details the complex relationship between preservation practices, resource extraction, and land access in the production of Oshima tsumugi kimono cloth, which uses the indigenous technique of dorozome (or mud-dyeing). As global interest in sustainable fashion grows, textile manufacturers on Amami have expanded from kimono production to dyeing garments and textiles for high-profile designers. While traditional craft may appear at odds with the large-scale global textile industry, Linton reveals how Amamian and global producers face similar social, economic, and environmental pressures. Ethical production in fashion, Linton contends, should focus on understanding local everyday practices that sustain direct relationships between people, place, and environment rather than rely on short-term solutions via new processes or materials. Weaving together ethnography, photography, and illustration, Linton underscores the continued relevance of traditional craft and material cultures amid ongoing climate change and biodiversity loss.
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Charlotte Linton explores the intersection of small-scale traditional craft production with contemporary sustainability practices in a textile dyeing workshop in southern Japan within the context of the global fashion industry.
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Introduction 1
1. The Mud Dyers of Amami Ōshima 31
2. The Alchemy of Producing Color 65
3. “Mottainai!” What a Waste! 101
4. The Mejiro Bird 135
5. “The Industrious Way of Doing Things” 165
6. Dyeing with the Earth 203
Conclusion 237
Acknowledgments 257
Glossary 259
Notes 263
References 269
Index
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781478028987
Publisert
2025-10-28
Utgiver
Duke University Press
Vekt
572 gr
Høyde
229 mm
Bredde
152 mm
Aldersnivå
UP, P, 05, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
304

Forfatter

Biografisk notat

Charlotte Linton is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Social Anthropology at All Souls College, University of Oxford.