Georgina Langdale
Indigo
English Name: Natural Indigo
Botanical Name: Indigofera tinctoria
Colouring Component: Indigotin
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified
Natural indigo has often been called“King of the Dyestuffs” which is produced from the indigo plant. The plant family, Indigofera was named by Linnaeus, after India, the country where it originated from.
The beautiful indigo colour is developed by a process of natural composting and fermentation, that has over 4000 years of history. In its purest form, natural indigo production requires no chemicals, the waste water from this sustainable agricultural process is used to water crops, while the remaining solid waste is used as a bio-fertilizer.
Colour Imparted:
Natural Indigo extract yields a range of blue colours from sky blue to deep navy blue.
INSPIRATION IS ORGANIC
I have sourced these G.O.T.S. certified plant dyes from partners I worked with in India when I was creating beautiful healing herb textiles. It is lovely to be partnering with my colleagues again in order to make these dyes available.
F.A.Q.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DYE AND A PIGMENT?
The main difference between them is that dyes are soluble, while pigments are insoluble and are suspended in a medium or binder.
WHERE DO YOUR PLANT DYES COME FROM?
I source my dyes from my partners in India whom I have collaborated with since 2015. I will also be growing some dye plants in the my gardens and hope to have them available in due course.
ARE PLANT DYES HARMFUL TO THE ENVIRONMENT?
No they are not. They are all grown sustainably. They are Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certifed. The GOTS standard was developed by leading standard setters to define world-wide recognised requirements for organic textiles.
Water from the dyeing process can be used on the garden, and plant material can be added to compost.
