A De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) research student has received a national award for demonstrating how fungi can be used to dye clothes in a normal, energy-efficient manner.

Nalinee Netithammakorn, a Ph.D. Fashion and Textiles Design researcher from Thailand discovered that she could dye clothes using biodegradable enzymes found in natural fungi rather than synthetic dyes. Nalinee's work has now been recognized with a prestigious Green Gown Award, beating out competition from all over the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The Green Gown Awards honor contribution to the global sustainability initiative and demonstrate the economic and societal benefits that universities and colleges have.

DMU was also Highly Commended in the categories of Next Generation Learning and Skills, for teaching foreign students English using the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, and Campus of the Future, for the £136 Campus Transformation Project, at the same ceremony.

According to the organizers, Nalinee's top award honors DMU's role in "enabling and inspiring young people to tackle pressing global problems in order to ensure a better tomorrow."

Nalinee said after the announcement that she felt proud of herself for having such a big dream, turning it into a passion, and seeing it through to fruition. She couldn't have done it without my supervisory team in the Textile Engineering and Materials Research Group's unwavering support (TEAM).

She wanted to express her appreciation to the supervision of Professor Jinsong Shen, Dr. Edward Smith, and Dr. Claire Lerpiniere. She expanded her special thanks to DMU and Karl Letten who believed in her project and supported her entry into the competition.

Professor Shen said that they are overjoyed to hear that Nalinee has received the prestigious Green Gown Award. They are extremely proud of her contribution to the advancement of biotechnology for sustainable textile coloration within our TEAM Research Community.

Dr. Claire Lerpiniere added that they are extremely proud of Nalinee's accomplishment, which is a creative solution to the real-world problem of pollution and carbon footprint in the coloration industry. TEAM's dedication to building a sustainable textile industry is expressed in Nalinee's work.

The dyeing method, named ‘ENZCOLOUR' by Nalinee, employs multidisciplinary technology at a lower temperature than traditional dyes, resulting in energy savings as well as material and water waste reduction.

Last year, Nalinee was highly commended by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts (RSA) in its RSA Student Design Awards.

Nalinee received a high honor from the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts (RSA) in the RSA Student Design Awards last year.

Nalinee was inspired by traditional Thai dyeing methods while pursuing her doctoral studies at DMU. She previously worked as a product creator and higher education teacher in apparel and textiles.