Lectures on Tap - "Dye Hard: The History & Chemistry of Color in Fashion"

Join us for an engaging evening where professors, experts, and storytellers bring their thought-provoking lectures to your favorite bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn!

Hosted by the Lectures on Tap team.

🗓️ Date: November 10th, 2025

🕡 Time: 6:30 PM

📍 Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn (exact address given in confirmation email)

📚 Lecture: “Dye Hard: The History & Chemistry of Color in Fashion”

🎤 Speaker: Prof. Dr. Julian Silverman

From the first purple robes of royalty to today’s fast fashion, dyeing fabric has always been intertwined with power, identity, and chemistry. However, these vibrant colors come with a hidden cost: polluted rivers, toxic mordants, and staggering water consumption. In this enlightening talk, chemist and educator Dr. Julian Silverman reveals the science and history behind textile colorants, exploring how ancient natural dyes worked, the revolutionary impact of 19th-century synthetics, and the modern innovations aimed at cleaning up the industry.

Along the way, you’ll discover how a single pair of jeans can affect entire ecosystems and how designers, scientists, and consumers can select colors responsibly.

Dr. Silverman is an Assistant Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, focused on transforming waste into new sustainable materials. When he's not dyeing shirts in his bathtub, he collaborates with toxicologists, textile developers, and educators to create consumer products that are safer, more sustainable, and colorful.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to delve into the world of dyes and their impact on our planet!

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.

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Host or Publisher Felecia For The Win