Colour4CRAFTS research featured in exhibition at the Estonian National Museum

A selection of the research results from the Colour4CRAFTS project is being featured in the exhibition, “The Colours of Our Clothes: The Local and The Global”, at the Estonian National Museum in Tartu, Estonia. 

The exhibition opened on 17 January 2026 and explores the history of natural dyes and the dye trade through contemporary scientific research, while drawing attention to the environmental impact of the textile industry and how the use of natural dyes could help mitigate it.

“‘The Colours of Our Clothes’ exhibition is a brilliant example how tradition paves the way to novel innovations,” say Professor Riikka Räisänen, the project lead for Colour4CRAFTS. She adds “how colour is both local and global. As crafters we can obtain dye sources from the nearby surroundings or relay on foreign ones. From the visual and value perspectives, colour creates meanings in local communities, which might be different from those of global fashion trends.” Professor Räisänen concludes “It is important to focus close, even to molecular level, to understand the whole figure. This exhibition beautifully intertwines the research of the different Colour4CRAFTS teams.”

Curated by Colour4CRAFTS team members, Riina Rammo, Liis Luhamaa, Kerttu Palginõmm, and Liisi Jääts (also of the Estonian National Museum), with Age Raudsepp and Ellen Värv of the Estonian National Museum, “The Colours of Our Clothes” invites visitors to discover the story of natural dyes in Estonia from ancient times to the present day, illustrating how the colour of our clothes is both deeply tied to local cultures and closely connected to a wider world history.

The exhibition displays historical garments from the Estonian National Museum’s collections as well as archaeological finds and reconstructions. Visitors will also find yarn and fabric samples dyed for the exhibition according to recipes discovered in archives, compared with objects from the museum’s collection. The exhibition allows visitors to explore historical instructions for gathering plants and dyeing with them. Videos provide an overview of both historical dyeing methods and innovative techniques.

More details about the creation of the exhibition will be shared in an upcoming Colour4CRAFTS blog post and podcast episode with Liisi Jääts, which will be uploaded here: https://colour4crafts.eu/menu/engagement/.

A digital tour of the exhibition will be available soon via the Colour4CRAFTS’ YouTube channel, found here: https://www.youtube.com/@Colour4CRAFTS.

For information about visiting the exhibition at the Estonian National Museum, check out their website, found here: https://www.erm.ee/en/colours-our-clothes.