Natural Indigo
(Indigofera Tinctoria)

Dye colour: Blue tones

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 road.

Myrobalan
(Terminalia chebula)

Dye colours: yellow (works in conjuction with others to make greens, black and grey).

This grows wild across India but is found in abundance at the foothills of the Himalayas.The myrobalan plant is like the swiss army knife of natural dyes.

Babul Bark
(Vachellia Nilotica)

Dye colour: Brown tones

Babul bark is a flowering plant tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. It is also a Weed of National Significance in Australia as well as a Federal Noxious Weed in the United States.

Madder
(Rubia Cordifolia)

Dye colour: red tones, orange, peach

Rubia Cordifolia is a flowering plant in the same family as coffee. The source of the colour is a compound called alizarin, and the plant has been cultivated for dye since antiquity in Asia and the Middle East. In more recent Western history, 17th Century English soldiers dressed in uniforms dyed with madder, giving them the name ‘The Redcoats’

Butterfly Pea
(Clitoria Ternatea)

Dye colour: blue tones, grey

Butterfly pea is a beautiful little flower with a history of use in food, medicine, and much more recently textile.

Vembadam
(Ventilago Maderaspatana)

Dye colour: purple

Finding this dyeplant was something of a reminder of natures sense of humour. We haven't been able to make purple since the start of Story in 2013 because the only natural dye we were able to get that produces purple is lac, which is a byproduct of insects (its actually from a plant, but it involved bugs... its complicated).

Jackfruit Dyed
(Artocarpus Heterophyllus)

Dye colour: yellow

Jackfruit as a dye is a real case of ancient technology research. Although the fruit is still widely eaten - its use as a dye had all but disappeared.

Sappan Wood
(Biancaea Sappan)

Dye Colour: bright pinks

Also known as Indian Redwood, this plant is an absolute powerhouse of colour and produces an almost chemical-leak level of bright pinky-violet that we love.

Hand Knit

Knitting may seem quaint now, but for much of human history it has been a necessity and powerful piece of ancient technology.

Hand Embroidered

Hand embroidery is one of our all-time favourite design details because it's always beautiful and interesting at every skill level.

Hand Crochet

Crochet in many ways has very simple requirements - just a yarn and a hook. Because of this, its a skill easily picked up but can take hours of dedication to master.

Hand-Woven

We use a lot of hand-woven fabrics - always woven especially for us by lovely people who choose weaving as a vocation.

Block Printed

There are many types of block printing, often characterised by the area and heritage of the craftsperson.