WE DYE

100% NATURAL INDIGO FERMENTATION

Our beginnings: finding a family that had kept the ancient knowledge of the natural indigo fermentation dyeing processes alive for generations - and bringing it back to 100% natural. The lack of smell gave it away! Since starting with a few 100 litre vats we now have 62 submerged vats of 1000 litres each. They were all fabricated locally in Auroville and are maintained like babies - yes that's how we see them, they need food & care & love every day. The organic growth that we have experienced is due to dedication, hard work, loyal customers & the support of Levi Strauss & Co. L.S.&Co. handpicked our Founder Jesus for their first Collaboratory program. Out of ten ideas around water saving, he was one to receive a grant for upscaling. We do regular lab checks to make sure that the indigo cakes we get remain unadulterated. Our supplier is located not far from us and they harvest the indigo leaves & extract the pigment through submerging & thrashing in water baths. Jesus continues to experiment and learn more. He talks about indigo & natural dyes across the world and is always interested in hearing from other experts or novices on the topic.

SOME OTHER PLANTS WE DYE WITH

This is not an exhaustive list, contact us to know more

Jackfruit tree

The tree, not the fruit, gives amazing yellow hues. We use the by-product sawdust of others = upcycling = added eco-bonus. Myrobalan & other mordants are used in the process of dyeing with upcycled jackfruit sawdust.

Myrobalan (Terminalia Chebula)

Myrobalan can be used as a mordant and as a dye needing no mordant. The outcome is a light buttery yellow or a yummy khaki, in combination with iron. It is the fruit of an India-native 30m tree that is used for dyeing.

Pomegranate

Pomegranate peel is rich in several structural forms of tannins, making it an excellent candidate for dyeing. The rind, not the fruit, gives a very lightfast colour, but the hue of the yellow produced is linked to how ripe the fruit is.

Sappan wood

A favourite for its luscious pinks, wonderful purples, and exquisite reds, Sappan wood is not always easy to dye with or to maintain, but we've got pretty good at it. The dyestuff of the plant that is doing the job is called brazilin.

Madder (Rubia Cordifolia)

Known as Common or Indian Madder, or Manjistha, this plant yields a deep red. Belonging to the flowering coffee plants family, is the roots of this creeper that have been dyeing silk & wool red since ancient times. We love!

Marigold flower

This pretty flower produces yellow, and other colours when mixed. Dried flowers are ground into a powder and added to a pot for simmering, after which straining gives the dye. It is easily available & relatively easy to use!

We have mastered both Batik (wax is applied) and Shibori (the cloth is tied or stitched into folds). Both dyeing techniques are all about the creation of exciting patterns by stopping parts of the material from getting dyed and they can also be combined.

Batik

Another ancient art handed down for thousands of years. It spread in the Middle East, Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Thailand, the Philippines, India and further. Today, batik is known and used all over the world. Worn by men and women alike, batik is a wax‐resist dyeing technique. Wax is applied to portions of the material (usually a fabric or a garment) which is then dyed. Later on, the wax is removed. One could say that batik is the reverse of normal painting; instead of colouring areas with a brush, you use wax to cover areas you don’t want coloured. Blocks, normally a wooden base and nails of uniform size and shape, result in the desired designs.

Shibori

This traditional Japanese textile art dates back to the 18th century. The word comes from the Japanese and means ‘to wring, squeeze or press’, emphasising the action performed on the cloth before it is dyed. Tie‐dyeing is accomplished by folding the material into a pattern and binding it with a string or rubber band. Dye is then applied only to parts of the material, not the ‘hidden’ parts. Shibori covers a wide range of techniques. We can fold, crumple, stitch, pluck, twist, knot, pleat, bind, clamp, pole wrap. Or simply dip for ombre.

PALETTE

This is not an exhaustive overview, contact us to know more or to explore ideas.

These are cards used at our office almost since ancient times. The colours we most use, for clients and our own garments are C061, 63, 67 & 67, C026, C042, C104 (which is actually a deeper pink) and C195 - but we have also added more khakis and ecru.

Fastness without fading is a key parameter. While we are doing well this is a good spot for a disclaimer: Some fading is likely to happen with naturally dyed fabrics & garments, as is a certain unevenness and variation to the fabrics and garments. Many say this only adds to the texture and living beauty of the slow fashion movement. FASTNESS TABLE