NATURAL INDIGO

Natural indigo is a blue dye that is extracted from the leaves of the indigofera tinctoria plant. This plant is grown in various parts of the world, including West Africa, South and South-East Asia. The indigo in our collections comes from India and Bangladesh.

Indigofera’s sustainability credentials are second to none. It is a very hardy crop and grows easily in various types of soil without the help of chemical inputs. As a legume, it has the ability to extract nitrogen from the air and put it into the soil. It is therefore a source of natural fertiliser and is often used as a rotational crop to revitalise the soil after other crops have depleted it. In India and Bangladesh, where the indigo in our collections is produced, the stems of the plant are used as firewood after harvesting, so the whole plant is used.

Natural indigo dye is produced by fermenting the leaves of the indigofera plant. This releases a compound, indican, which is dried and turned into powder. In order to dye fabric, this powder is mixed with water, which creates a de-oxygenated solution. The fabric is dipped into this dye bath, and when it is pulled out, it gradually turns from yellow to green and then to blue. The process is quite magical, as can be seen in this video.

We’re proud to working with producers of some of the finest natural indigo in the world. Read about our visit to one of them here.

Shop our indigo products here.