Natural Indigo Dyed

Indigo is one of the world’s oldest dyes, with evidence of its use stretching back at least 6,000 years ago in South America and through the ages in Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt and India where it was used and exported through the silk roads. Through somewhat of a change in status, indigo cloth went from a luxury in ancient times to commonplace in nearer years as its use spread - from ‘royal blue’ to ‘blue collar worker’.

Indigofera Tinctoria is a legume, part of the bean family of plants, and is not only an excellent source of indigotin (the pigment used in dyeing) but is also routinely used in crop rotation to improve soil conditions.

Indigo is also considered a powerful wearable medicine in the ancient practice of Ayurveda, and is mixed with other plants to dye cloth designed to cure or help with skin conditions, respiratory health and temperature regulation.

Indigo as a 'dye' is a little bit of a misnomer - it's actually more of a 'coating'. Our yarns and fabrics are hand dipped in deep pits of fermenting dye (the bacteria in the pits are the real heroes here and have been replaced by harsh chemicals in industry) and deeper colours are only achieved through successive dips. For our darker shades, we dip, dry and dip up to 16 times over the course of a few days.