From Soil to Style

Last week, we had the good fortune to attend a natural dyes conference, co-sponsored by the Craft Council of Gujarat and Gujarat University in Ahmedabad. India’s rich heritage of natural dyeing of textiles and crafts goes back millennia.  Now, a renewed interest in natural dyeing is taking place here, just as it is in many other parts of the world.

The goal of the symposium was to bring together artisans, researchers and industry professionals, to foster dialog around the preservation of traditional dyeing practices and also to promote collaboration in the adoption of more eco-friendly dyeing methods in the textile industry.  

The speakers represented a range of experiences and perspectives, each one inspiring in their own right. Below is a summary of some of the presentations and a few images of the slides the speakers used in their presentations.

Dr. Madan Meena spoke about the history of natural dyeing in India, highlighting the exploitation rampant in the indigo growing industry during British rule. He is an artist, folklore researcher and cultural historian, who has worked extensively with rural, nomadic and tribal communities, including his own ancestral tribe, documenting folklore, music and craft traditions.

Dr. Bosco Henriques, co-founder and director of BioDye India, is a molecular plant biologist. The creation of the company grew out of a two-fold project commissioned by the government Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. In the first project, over a hundred plants were identified with sustainable parts, such as leaves and fruits that could be used to dye cotton and that would also have strong lightfast and colorfast properties. The second project focused on methods of growing dye plants and extracting shelf-stable pigments for dyeing yarn and fabric made from cotton, flax, jute, viscose, silk and wool using only non-toxic and biodegradable substances. The company dyes fabric for a diversity of clients in a range of color not often seen in natural dyes.

Ms. Aarti Munnappa entered the fashion industry over 30 years ago, working in collaboration with craftsmen specializing in hand crafts and natural dyeing. Working with the “All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association,” welfare of the artisans was her primary consideration in their employment. Her company is called Aarti (https://www.aartifashion.com/).

Mr. Rahendra Joshi spoke in Hindi, but the photos in his presentation told a story that transcended words.  Rajendra is the Natural Dye Operations Manager at the Kumaon Earthcraft Cooperative, a collective of artisans and farmers, initiated by an organization called Avani.  Avani works with communities in the Kumaon Himalayas to help create livelihood opportunities based on self-reliance and environmentally sustainable practices.

Dr. Ismail Khatri also spoke in Hindi. He is a world renowned Ajrakh block printer from Ajrakhpur in Gujarat. Ajrakh is a particular style of block printing on fabric that involves great precision and skill. There are many articles, books and documentaries that focus on Ismail Khatri and his family of artisans. You can read more about him at: https://www.bandhej.com/blog/post/kharal-weaving1111

Ms. Archana Shah concluded the symposium with her thoughts about a sustainable future for natural dyeing. In the late 1970s, as a young university student at the National Institute of Design, Archana  spent 2 weeks living with Ismail Khatri’s family, learning about their artisan community and their Ajrakh block printing tradition. The friendships she formed within the family during her 2 -week home stay became the foundation for the creation of her fashion design company Bandhej (https://www.bandhej.com/). Forty years later, she continues to collaborate with descendants of the family in creating block print collections.  We recently visited a Bandhej store, which showcases exquisite textiles celebrating the diversity of craft traditions from across the country. It was a truly a feast of color, pattern and extraordinary artistry.

Day 2 of the natural dyes symposium featured a natural dye demonstration and hands on workshop geared towards students at Gujarat University.

There was tremendous interest, with well over 100 people present. There were several speakers representing small and large companies manufacturing natural dyes, as well as dyers and weavers working with natural dyes. The talks were all in Hindi, but I was able to later ask questions in English.

Participants were able to purchase pre-washed bandana size squares for dyeing and there were 5 vats set up for the dyeing process. Rubber bands and strings were available to create “tie-dye” designs. First the cloth was dipped in a clear alum solution. Alum is a mineral that acts as a mordant-a substance that encourages the dye molecules to bond with the cloth. There was a vat of “harda” a myrobalan solution, which is a tannin from a tree (Terminalia chebula) that also can encourage some dyes to bond with the fabric and imparts a yellow color. A vat of pomegranate, (yellow) and vat of madder, (red) both required pre-dipping in alum as a mordant before dyeing the fabric. The remaining vat was indigo,(blue) no pre-treatment is required before dipping.

Here’s some video from the flurry of twisting, tying, scrunching, binding, bare hands dipping in and out of color and becoming completely covered in hues of red, yellow and blue. The resulting squares were a celebration of color and pattern.