SDC Day of Celebration 2024
December 2, 2024 | David Wawer, CPMA Executive Director
The Society of Dyers & Colourists, with headquarters in Bradford, UK, celebrated its 140th Year as an international society on November 8, 2024. I was fortunate and honored to be a participant in the Annual Day of Celebration in York, UK this year. The day-long event began with a morning reception hosted by SDC Executive Director Dr. Graham Clayton, featuring projects developed by textile design students from Universities in New Zealand, Thailand, India, Ireland, and UK. The reception featured information about the 140 year history of the Society, including creation of the Colour Index in 1924. The Society’s Technical Director Andrew Filarowski announced the launch of a multi-year historical restoration project featuring materials from the Society’s archives. As a member of the Colour Index Pigment & Solvent Dyes Board I was amazed by the Society’s technical and scientific achievements during the past 140 years. It was also quite fascinating to see the original Colour Index Book developed by the Society in 1924.
The afternoon session for the Annual Day of Celebration featured the Awards Ceremony, where professional achievements by Society Members were acknowledged through the awarding of Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals. The six Student finalists for the international textile design competition were formally recognized with certificates of achievement. It was my honor to receive the Silver Medal from the Society that day for professional contributions to enhance the value of the Colour Index for global commercial applications for the dyes and pigments industries.
The Day of Celebration concluded with the Annual Black Tie Dinner of the Society. Merchants Hall in York was completely filled with Members of the Society and Honored Guests. The final event of the day featured announcement of the winner of the International Textile Design Student Competition.
