A new, yellow crosslinking polyvinylamine dye was synthesized by the reaction of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene with polyvinylamine prepared from Hofmann degradation of polyacrylamide. It was crosslinked and dyed to cotton and silk by a crosslinker synthesized from 1,3,5trichloro-s-triazine and sodium 2-(p-aminophenylsulfonyl)ethyl sulfate. The crosslinking/ dyeing conditions of the yellow polyvinylamine dye, such as pH, cure temperature, and concentration of the crosslinker were investigated. The fixations of the polymeric dye by the crosslinker on cotton and silk were greater than 99%. The crosslinking covalent dye-fiber bond was proved indirectly by the comparison of IR spectra of the undyed fiber, the dyed fiber, and the crosslinked one, and also by the fact that no dye was stripped off from the crosslinked and dyed sample by extraction with DMF/water (1 : 1). (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.