Organic Plant-Dyed Fabric - Indigo Plaid

This fabric is made with 100% organic cotton fabric dyed with natural plant dyes.

The fabric has been handloomed as part of a charitable trust that provides dignified income-earning jobs to women in India.

The fabric is unique due to the traditional hand-dyeing and handlooming techniques used.  The fabric is approximately 4.8 ounces per yard and can be translucent in the light.

The fabric is 42.5" wide and sold by the yard.

Consecutive yardage will be sent as a single piece to the extent possible. Due to the handloomed nature of the product, pieces are made between 5-6 yards each due to the length of the fabric that can be made on the handloom.

The white portions of this fabric are undyed, organic cotton, the blue stripes are dyed with organic indigo leaf extract and the teal stripes are dyed with organic indigo leaf extract and myrobalan.

Indigo leaf dye has been safely used for thousands of years (dating back to 2000-3000 B.C.) for its ability to make strong and beautiful blues. In the 1800s, natural indigo was almost completely replaced by synthetic indigo, which is derived from the known toxin aniline - a chemical that has been used to make rocket fuel. One third of aniline residue remains on conventional jeans (here).

The dried fruits of myrobalan trees used for dyeing are commonly used in ayurvedic and traditional Tibetan medicine. Because myrobalan is very high in antoxidants, it has been used to protect against various age and heart related diseases.

The organic cotton is grown by a non-governmental, social service company that is committed to the empowerment of women in rural communities that pays all its employs fair wages.

The cotton is handloomed and hand-dyed by a charitable trust focused on making handlooming a profitable, fulfilling, sustainable and dignified income-earning activity through spinning, weaving, design, marketing and entrepreneurial training in several weaving centers in India. All employees, the vast majority of which are women, are ethically treated and paid fair wages.

This fabric is made with organic cotton fabric that is grown, harvested and processed without the use of harmful chemicals that could leech into our environment.

In addition, this fabric is dyed with natural, sustainably harvested plants. Plant dyes do not produce toxic run-off like conventional (and other organic dyes) and plant dyes remove carbon from the air during the plant's growth, helping reverse the cause of global climate change.

Machine wash on gentle cycle using a mild pH-neutral detergent and without fabric softeners. Tumble dry on low.