Colours for Change Exhibition
AO Textiles presents ‘Colours for Change’, an exhibition mapping their pioneering journey with natural dyes. As a forward-thinking research and design consultancy, AO Textiles is leading sustainable innovation in the UK textile industry.
Established in 2007, AO Textiles unites three designers with a shared vision.
Penny Walsh, a master colourist with lifelong expertise in historic natural dyeing; Karen Spurgin, a surface designer and embroiderer; and Emma D’Arcey, a specialist in marbling and printmaking, came together to address the growing need for sustainability in the textile industry.
This exhibition explores the work of AO Textiles and how it is redefining colour for the 21st century, developing dye systems that meet modern industry standards while remaining rooted in environmental responsibility. Through collaborations with British textile manufacturers, dye houses, and land stewards particularly in Somerset, AO Textiles is aligning traditional dyeing practices with contemporary production, laying the groundwork for a local, circular textile system.