People ask me all the time whether my stuff is made with organic cotton or dyed with vegetable dyes. So let’s just get this out of the way: the answer is no.
The entire fashion world seems to focus on organic cotton in their attempt to be more ‘green.’ While I applaud their motivation and efforts, I don’t think using purely organic cotton is ever going to satisfy the world’s thirst for cotton.
Plus it is so unpredictable, it will always have to be mixed with regular cotton to give us what we have come to expect from garments: durability and predictable shrinkage. For this reason very few companies can actually produce 100% organic clothing.
Some cotton being made into 'khadi' yarns for some handloom cotton cloth.
I'm not knocking organic cotton - I'd just like to see the industry approach their energy footprint as a way to become 'green.'
By just shifting to handloom, they can offer garments with significantly less impact on the earth.
Veggie Dyes:
I have the same issue with vegetable dyes. I have attempted a few times to work with natural dyes and watched as all kinds of combinations of twigs, leaves and insects are cooked up to make a color.
Ultimately, I believe using vegetable dyes is more wasteful and potentially more harmful than using a non-toxic commercial dye. I have watched women in rural India scour the countryside looking for a certain leaf that creates a certain color. I can just imagine what would happen if vegetable dyes become popular.
In an effort to make ourselves greener, we will create more destruction on wild environments. I’d rather use the extremely efficient commercial dyes. They have to gather a ton of leaves to make enough of dye for just 10 meters of cloth and waste more energy heating up the water for what in the end is a washed out looking color.
This sari was made with all vegetable dyes. While it is beautiful, it also took about two years to make!
1 comment:
Dear Smita Paul,
I've just come across your blog and project with which I'm very impressed.
I do agree with you when you say that having all organic textiles or only naturally dyed textiles it is not possible or good for the planet. Though, having a healthy mix of both helps preserve the planet and also in regard of the natural dyes, it helps preserve culture...
I've a tiny shop that sells silk shawls from around India and Southeast Asia and we doing both normal colours and natural dyes and it has work for us so far. Some people do rather the natural ones, some don't really care as soon as it is hand made. That's how we keep a balance :-)
Congratulations, you have an inspiring project.
Kind Regards,
Nuno
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