P r o d u c t i o n M e t h o d
Natural dying is a dying process that is 100% natural and does not involve the use of any toxic substances and has been dated back to as long as 5000 years ago. The coloring involves vegetable and mineral dyes, of which vegetable dyes come from plant sources such as: roots, berries, leaves, bark, wood, indigo and other biological sources, whereas mineral dyes include: ochre, a type of iron that is an earth mineral oxide, malachite, a green mineral (a mixture between copper carbonate and copper hydroxide), manganese, a metallic element, and many more. The benefit of natural colorants, besides the fact that is natural, is its lasting effect. When dyeing the fabrics, the natural colorant goes into the fibers which enables the color to last longer than other colorants without damaging the fabric as chemical colorants do. With the natural dyeing method, each fabric may result slightly different due to various factors (amount of colorant source, water conditions, drying conditions etc). We believe this is another benefit of natural dyeing as we find it endearing to produce clothes that are not an exact copy of each other. Each one with a unique characteristic.
Block printing is a natural way to print on fabrics. It follows a traditional method of using wooden blocks that are carved out by hand. It is one of the oldest types of printmaking, and has been around for thousands of years. It has been found as far back as the fifth century BC, where actual fragments were found that date back to the fifteenth century. Many materials can be used for block printing including wood, linoleum, rubber, however, for our prints we have exclusively used wooden blocks. The blocks are dipped in natural dye and pressed onto the fabric which is a process done entirely by hand and requires precision and an eye for detail. Due to the artisanal method that block printing entails, each print differs slightly from one another. A garment can have a print that has a subtle difference in how the print is pressed onto the fabric; we believe this highlights the beauty of handmade prints and enables each garment to be unique with its own individual print.
