Bringing Color Back from Nature

Colorifix minimises the environmental impact of industrial dyeing by replacing chemistry with biology at every step in the process, from the creation of the dyes to their fixation into fabrics.


The first step is to find a colour created by an organism in nature— whether an animal, plant, insect or microbe. Via online DNA sequencing (never a physical specimen) we pinpoint the exact genes that lead to the production of the pigment and we then translate that DNA code into our microorganism. The resulting engineered microorganism can then produce the pigment just as it is produced in nature.

Our dyes are grown on-site with renewable feedstocks.






We ship a tiny quantity of engineered microorganism to our clients who— with our support— grow the colour via fermentation. In the same way beer is brewed, the microorganisms grow on renewable feedstocks such as sugar, yeast, and plant-byproducts. The microorganisms divide every 20 minutes, resulting in a large quantity of colourful dye liquor within just one or two days. This is then placed directly into standard dye machines, requiring no additional specialist equipment or toxic chemicals.

We leverage a naturally-occurring biological process to deposit and fix the colour.





In conventional dyeing, many harsh chemicals, heavy metals, and salts are introduced at the fixing stage to create a permanent bond between colour and fibre. Our engineered microorganisms, however, are able to concentrate the nutrient salts and metals that are already present in water to levels that facilitate this dye-fabric interaction with zero added substances.