Organic Cotton

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Bringing Indigo Back

June 17, 2008 in DIY Projects, Inspiration, Me | 1 comment

Indigo is my favourite dye colour. It is among the oldest dyes to be used for textile dyeing and printing and with time, its beauty has not aged. The colour is still as sharp, rich and no synthetic (at least in my opinion) can obtain the same vibrance or energy. To many it is described as Midnight Blue…and if I have to add to that….it has the colours of a thousand shining stars too.

Traditionally indigo came from a flowering plant called woad (Isatis tinctoria), dyer’s knotweed (Polygonum tinctorum) and the Indigofera species which yields the most dye. The process of dyeing with Indigo is very complex and time consuming taking several weeks. The real colour only emerges at the end when the dye and fabric oxidizes.

For my thesis I attempted to dye with my small jar of indigo powder. I achieved the colour and had great fun but unfortunately I could not get the dye to fix and I turned blue for days.

My poor model (picture below) also turned blue. The garments: a bra and panty set with a wrap-around skirt inspired by the mussel shell and pearl (items collected from the beach) was all made using 100% bamboo fabric. Everything was natural including details such as the bra strap rings (which was made from bamboo wood). Overall, the project was a success but the dyeing was not.

With time, as all things, synthetic dyes has became the favoured form of dyeing and today it is rare to find a true indigo dyed fabric or garment. This is why I was so excited when I discovered that Dondup, an Italian based clothing company that is dyeing using Guado, as it is known in Italian, and casting it as the original, local shade of blue. If that is not enough, all of Essentia’s apparel is also made from organic cotton and for colours other than blue, Dondup also works with natural dyes that have been used for centuries, like rose madder and blackberry.

It is great to see nature coming to fore. Nature and natural ways are to be treasured and traditions and skills like dyeing with indigo I believe is not one that should be read about only in art history books but one that should be alive today.

Pamoyo

June 11, 2008 in Featured Artists, Inspiration | 3 comments

I have a special spot for organic fabric but to most of us, it’s an expensive luxury. ..and if the price tag is not going to break the bank, then it either poorly made or so simple in style that it’s more of a vest than anything else. Thankfully there are labels out there such as Pamoyo who have found the middle ground between ethical, organic and fashionable. Pamoyo is a choice for green and social production as much as much as for quality and authenticity. I support this and what is even better, it is affordable not only by the wallet, but in all arguable ways, it is WORTH it.

Here is why I like this German founded label:

1) They are based on an open-source model. This means that all its designs are published under the Creative Commons license for non-commercial use. It is a company that designs with their customers. The purpose of Pamoyo’s designs are to spread, not to be protected with barbed wire fencing and legal chain lock. Currently they are preparing patterns for publication on their website which will be available for download. The idea is that you can build upon and create new versions of your fashion item. This ‘freedom’ in fashion is a new concept and is very exciting.

2) 2 Euro’s per sold item is set apart to invest in Pamoyo’s own social-environmental projects. Together with the Grass Routes Foundation they hope to set up training projects with designers in developing countries to build upon Pamoyo’s unique projects that integrate creative, social and environmental aspects of clothing production.

3) Pamoyo’s clothing philosophy is great: They believe in slow fashion. What this means is that you wear what you enjoy wearing. Pamoyo clothing is what you want to live in, clothing that compliments you, that can accompany you on your adventures, and that together with you, a story is created. Pamoyo does not follow fashion seasons or trends, they create new products and items based upon new artistic inventions or social statements. How refreshing!

4) Pamoyo’s clothing is ethical and are is in sync with principles of the heart. They dare to be fair, to be social and to be green. As they say: “We create clothing for people who want to be themselves, as they are: real.”

5) Pamoyo clothes are designed with flow, drawing connections between the past and the future. They use organic cotton from Turkey and Uganda and vintage clothing that has recycled elements mixed in. For example, a suit reincarnates as a hat and dress becomes a shirt.

6) Super fun is their ’surprise me’ option in their shop. Here you give them the basic details such as model, size and base colour and they select the item for you.

7) …and I cannot finish this post without mentioning their fantastic blog. From Recycling Trash to Trashury to Recycle a Gas Station! to Vegetarian Silk? …..it’s all in there. I think I’m going to spend the rest of my week browsing through their archives!

What an exciting find to come across Pamoyo on Springwise this morning. I feel that in conclusion they sum up their label best: “Pamoyo clothes are made for truly adventurous lifes – nomadic and full of surprise.” I’ve got to be apart of this story….