Acorn shell
Greys
Sourced as a by-product from the food processing industry, converting material that would otherwise be discarded into a valuable resource.
IndiDye® Natural Color is our series of natural dyes made from biomass, fit for a wide range of fibres and applications. We have carefully selected 6 different raw materials for our dyes based on dyeing performance and sustainable availability. Sourcing by-products and renewable low impact raw materials which do not displace food production is key to our holistic mission to create textile products that do less harm to people and planet.
Careful sourcing
Greys
Sourced as a by-product from the food processing industry, converting material that would otherwise be discarded into a valuable resource.
Yellows
Like the acorn and chestnut shells, pomegranate rinds come from food processing as a by-product, reducing waste while ensuring a reliable supply of raw material.
Reds
Harvested from a resilient plant that thrives in marginal soils not suitable for food production. Its cultivation requires no pesticides and actively enriches the soil, serving as an ideal complementary crop and fostering greater biodiversity through crop rotation.
Yellows
The Pagoda Tree is renowned for its durability and adaptability, tolerating heat, drought, pollution and nutrient-poor soils. Widely cultivated in China and recognised as a heritage tree, it provides a plentiful supply of flower buds for natural dye extraction.
Browns
A by-product of the food processing industry, supporting a healthy circular economy by turning discarded material into dye.
Purples
A raw, natural resin secreted by the lac insect and collected as a crust from tree branches. Its cultivation offers sustainable economic opportunities to rural communities, as it enables harvesting without harming the host trees, preserving biodiversity while supplying a valuable natural resin.
We extract concentrated natural compounds from our 6 raw materials to create our principal colors. IndiDye® Natural Color are natural dyes and the final color of the dyed product will vary depending on dyeing process and fibre composition, while different shades are achieved by altering dye concentration and settings.
Fibres we dye
Cotton
Lyocell and Modal
Linen
Hemp
Wool
Silk
Applications
Wool top and wool fabrics
Top, fibre and piece dyed
Natural dyed denim twill
Piece dyed as fabric
Woven cotton fabrics
Piece dyed as fabric
Mélange yarns
Fibre dyed, then blended and spun
Silk fabrics
Piece dyed
IndiDye® Natural Color is available in yarns and fabrics for a range of products. Dyeing is carried out through our manufacturing network — wool top, fibre and piece dyeing, denim and wovens, fibre dyed mélange, silk piece dyeing, and garment dyeing. Piece dyeing of nylon and lace is also available through the network.
Indigo is among the oldest dyes known to man, dating back 6000 years. To many of us the characteristic color of indigo is what defines denim fabrics and blue jeans. Originally this beautiful blue color was derived from different plants containing indigotin. It was a highly valuable trade commodity known as "blue gold".
When the chemical structure of indigo was discovered in the late 1800s it enabled the development of synthetic production methods. Due to the very large amount of indigo used today, especially for the production of jeans, it is now mostly produced synthetically, often with severe environmental impact.
IndiDye® is reviving natural indigo through innovation and technology for a low impact natural alternative.
The leaves that remain after
the harvest
are usually waste.
We turn them into blue.
The Guizhou Province is famous for its karst mountain scenery. But this mountainous province is also home to a significant part of the farming of Ban-Lan-Gen.
IndiDye® Natural Indigo is sourced from Isatis Indigotica or "dyers woad", one of the most important traditional Chinese medicinal plants. Isatis Indigotica is farmed for the roots, Ban-Lan-Gen (Radix Isatidis), which has been used in China and other Asian countries for its antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects for thousands of years.
The leaves that remain after the harvesting of Ban-Lan-Gen are usually waste, but we provide the farmers additional income from their crops by utilizing the waste leaves.
We collect them, soak them in water and ferment them to convert substances present in the leaves to blue indigo dyes for our low impact aniline free IndiDye® Natural Indigo.
Wastewater and leftovers from the fermentation process are recycled back into the farmland for irrigation and fertilisation.
The result is an aniline free natural indigo, produced where the plant grows, from a part of the crop that had no value before.
At IndiDye® we strive to optimize every step of dyeing and processing. Clay bleaching is a process where we use natural mineral rich clay to bleach fibres, yarns or fabrics.
The process uses significantly less water than traditional bleaching, we recycle up to 90% of the water in the process, and there are no hazardous chemicals.
The IndiDye® Clay White bleaching process yields a beautiful natural offwhite.