COLOURS FROM NATURE
The chemistry of natural dyeing is a subtle interaction between plant-based pigments, textile fibers, and mordants that help fix the colour. It’s a careful and thoughtful process that involves understanding how natural materials react to elements like heat, water, and pH levels. Working with natural dyes also means making your hands dirty, being patient, and appreciating the beauty in small imperfections.
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The basic principles of natural dyeing begins with scouring, where the fabric is gently washed to remove oils and residues. This takes about 1 to 2 hours depending on the fiber. Next is mordanting, a crucial step where the fabric is soaked in a solution (often with alum or other mineral salts) to help the dye bind to the fibers, which can take 1 to 24 hours, including resting time. Then comes the dye bath, where the fabric is simmered in a pot of natural colour pigments for 1 to 2 hours, followed by a rest period to allow the colour to deepen. Finally, the fabric is rinsed and dried, and ideally left to cure for several days, allowing the colours to fully set and stabilize. ​
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There are endless possibilities when it comes to natural dyeing textiles. From whole plant material dye baths that create even tones or shibori prints, to steaming fresh or dried flowers and leaves in fabric bundles for soft, watercolour-like creations. Each technique reveals its own kind of magic, shaped by time, touch, and the plants themselves.
We love to show you the wide range of colour palettes Nature offers and the beauty that unfolds when we create with it. Our naturally dyed garments and textile arts are created as a collaboration with Nature.
​Not in an effort to overcome their limitations, but to allow their full expression. Perfectly imperfect, never truely the same and slowly made, at the pase of Nature.
BOTANICAL DYES
Nature is full of hidden pigments that can be used to create beautiful, natural dyes. Often, we pass by the trees without noticing their potential, we gift flowers when they are vibrant and strong but are rapidly less admired when they loose their strength. We throw away parts of fruits and vegetables that we don't eat unaware that they could be transformed into beautiful vibrant dyes. ​Through natural dyeing and by turning Nature into wearable pieces of art, we deepen our connection with the natural world around us and give new life to its colourful offering. Natural dyes are often described as "living colours". They are a lot more vibrant and unlike synthetic dyes, they have a lot more personality and contain many different colour pigments resulting in a richer and deeper colour with a much higher energetic vibration.
For centuries, natural dyeing has been practiced around the world, like shibori indigo dyeing in Japan, batik using beeswax in Indonesia, and the Ajrakh block printing and naturally dyed handloom textiles of India. Even in the Netherlands, natural dyeing was once a thriving practice. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Zeeland had a booming madder root industry, producing red dye from the roots of the Rubia tinctorum plant. This ended with the invention of synthetic alizarin, the main red pigment found in madder, which led to the collapse of the natural dye trade in the region. With the rise of developing synthetic dyes and fast-pased manufacturing industries, we started to loose our connection with natural dyes and it slowly became a fainting practice that was only kept alive by small artisan communities and devoted artist & designers. ​​​​
Want to learn more about this ancient colouring techniques and discover the world of natural dyes? Immerse yourself in the beauty of this craft through our natural textile dye workshops or bring the experience home, within your own time, with our complete natural dye kits!