![]() The color bond between the mordanted fibers and the dyestuff is a chemical bond. Most other dyes require you to extract the dyestuff from the raw material by making a “tea” of dyestuff and liquid, or dissolving already extracted dyes in powder form with water, adding mordanted fibers and then simmering until the color has transferred to the fibers. Reduction: Indigo works differently than other natural dyes. The vat consists of room temperature or warm water and indigo stock solution. The vat can be of varying sizes but a good rule of thumb is make it large enough so that your goods can move easily in the vat liquid, and be completely covered in the solution. ![]() Vat: The vat is the actual container of indigo and ingredients where you will dip your goods. You can also create an indigo vat using the gpL method that we detail in our How To section to better control the amount of indigo and the resultant shade. Once the reaction is ready, then carefully add this stock solution to a container of water to create the vat. We have found it easier to build a vat if you mix these ingredients in a smaller container and let them react. Indigo Stock Solution (also called a Starter or Mother): Indigo is dependent on a balanced blend of indigo powder, a base or alkali such as calcium hydroxide, and a reducing agent, such as fructose or henna. The higher the gpL, the darker the vat will be. Grams per Liter (gpL): An expression used to determine the amount of indigo in a vat. An excellent resource about the history of indigo is Jenny Balfour-Paul’s book Indigo: Egyptian Mummies to Blue Jeans. Cultivation acreage plummeted and within 20 years only a fraction of the indigo used worldwide was from natural sources. ![]() The color was synthesized around 1880 by Alfred Bayer and shortly after the world indigo market collapsed as manufacturers switched to the new miracle synthetic dye. European colonizers forced Bengali and indigenous workers to grow indigo under horrible conditions, resulting in worker uprisings and revolts. Indigo was a valued historical crop and grown and tended by enslaved people in the US. Indigo was used to dye shrouds for Egyptian burials, uniforms for Napoleon’s Army, prestige cloth for African chiefs and to dye denim for blue jeans. It is the only natural plant-based blue and its colorant is present in other plants, including woad ( Isatis tinctoria), Japanese indigo, ( Persicaria tinctoria, a buckwheat) and Strobilanthes cusia, a distant cousin to the ornamental Persian Shield that you can buy at Home Depot. Indigo remains the key colour in Vlisco Wax Hollandais and Super-Wax products, but it is the combination of bright colours and intricate patterns, which have become so popular today.Indigo: Indigo is a pigment from the leaves of the indigo plant called Indigofera tinctoria, one of the oldest dyes known to humankind. Every layer of subsequent colour is meticulously applied to guarantee our fabrics are still vibrant even after washing. This is a key part of our colour ritual as it ensures the fabric retains the deep blue hue of indigo. Once a design is engraved, the fabric goes on a 22-kilometre journey through our factory and is thoroughly bathed in indigo ink for over two hours. Also, because of indigo, our Wax fabrics gain their signature blue haze, fine crackling and tender feel. Often being referred to as ‘blue gold’ for its high commodity value, West African women who were renowned Indigo dyers and traders became wealthy and highly influential in the African- and international textile market.īy applying the monumental dye in Vlisco designs, we connect with the cultural and historical value of the dye. Indigo used to be the most common and popular source of colour in West Africa for centuries. Though Vlisco fabrics are known to carry all the colours of the rainbow, Indigo is our most used dye.
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