THE SEARCH FOR COLOUR

ASHWINI ARUN KUMAR SPEAKS WITH FOUR INDIVIDUALS WHO WORK WITH NATURAL DYES OR HERITAGE HANDICRAFT PROCESSES TO UNDERSTAND THE PLACE OF NATURALLY-DERIVED COLOURS IN TODAY'S FASHION LANDSCAPE

- ASHWINI ARUN KUMAR

Your grandmother's red sari, your blue shirt, or that luxe pink pashmina that has been passed down generations... colour has become the ultimate attribute that we use to not only recognise but also to remember our clothes with pleasure.

It was discovered very early on, perhaps by accident, that yarn or fabric could be coloured by turning to natural sources such as tree roots and barks, flowers, fruits, vegetables, the dried bodies of insects, certain microorganisms and minerals.

Depending on their solubility in water, pigments are extracted differently from different sources - most pigments derived from plants can simply be extracted by juicing, crushing and grinding - and stored as powders. Some heritage handicraft techniques such as ajrakh, dabu and kalamkari, perpetuated by artisan clusters that have adhered to traditional processes, still use natural dyes for colouring, too. But colouring fabrics naturally or printing them with naturally-derived dyes is a lengthy and time-consuming process.

To keep up with the fast pace of fashion, many brands use synthetic colours that give the same result in a very short time, but this has a negative effect on the environment. Still, even in these times of mass production, a handful of people within the fashion industry is focused on not only working with natural dyes and handicraft techniques that use them but also reviving them. 

We speak with individuals from four such labels from across the country..