• A dye can generally be described as “a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied”. • From Ancient Egypt to the modern day - for over 4000 years mankind has been brightening up clothing with natural and synthetic dyes. • Throughout the ages adding individuality to clothing with colour has been used to denote gender, status and allegiance.

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2. Introduction
A dye can generally be
described as “a colored
substance that has an affinity to
the substrate to which it is being
applied”.

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 The dyes that were used for garments were
proportionate to the wealth or importance of the
people.
 Wealthy people were wearing brightly hued colours,
while the lower class was wearing clothes in the
shades of white or brown.
 The slaves clothes were dyed in greys, greens and
browns. Either way, dyed garments were expensive
and a matter of exclusivity, across the whole ancient
world.

4.  The use of dyes began thousands of years ago.
 Some evidence show that textile dyeing dates back as early as the Neolithic Period or New Stone
Age, which took place around 10,200 BCE.
 Some data states that dyeing was done more than 4,000 years ago because of the evidence of
dyed fabrics found in Egyptian tombs.
 Meanwhile, the use of black, white, yellow, and reddish pigments made from ochre in cave
painting were traced back as early as 15,000 BCE.
 During 7,200 to 2,000 BCE, the period when fixed settlements and textiles were being developed,
dyes were also used.
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 From Ancient Egypt to the modern day - for over 4000 years mankind has been brightening up
clothing with natural and synthetic dyes.
 Throughout the ages adding individuality to clothing with colour has been used to denote gender,
status and allegiance.
 It started with natural mineral and plant dyes, but with the discovery of synthetic dyes came a
plethora of colour choice.

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Vegetable dyes
Animal dyes
Mineral dyes

7.  Indigo - Indigo was derived from the leaves of dyer’s woad herb and from the indigo plant.
 Alizarin - Alizarin was a red dye extracted from the madder plant. Meanwhile, other red shades were
derived from scale insects such as kermes and coachineal.
 Tyrian Purple - Tyrian purple was extracted from the glands of snails.
 Yellow - Yellow came from the leaves of weld, quercetin, and the bark of the North American oak tree.
Carotenoids, which are compounds present in green plants.
 Logwood - Heartwood extracts coming from logwood yield hematoxylin. Once it oxidizes, it will turn to
hematein during isolation. Initially, it is red but the colour will transform to charcoal, grey, and black once
combined with chromium. Logwood is used to dye silk and leather.
 Mordants - Most natural dyes warranted the use of mordants in order for the colour to stick to different
materials, fabric, or textile.
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9.  When the first humans created clothes made from linseed and cotton, the need for dyeing was
absent.
 All the garments were used in their natural colour, which was something close to pale grey or white.
 After centuries of using these textiles, when the first civilisations were flourishing in the Middle East,
in Egypt and in Asia, the need to distinguish gender and class became more pronounced and so the
first natural dyes were created.
 Scientists have even found evidence about the first natural reds and oranges in tombs back to
2600BC.
 An important manuscript of the Hellenistic period showing exactly the importance of the dyeing
industry in the ancient world is the so-called Stockholm Papyrus.
 It contains over a hundred recipes for manufacturing dyes and how to apply them to textiles.
 It is an important source, as it follows the development of the dyeing industry from the Hellenistic to
Roman times.
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10. METHODS OF DYEING ACROSS
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
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11.  The base cloth is usually dyed deep reds or yellows by boiling bark
and leaves.
 Then, using mud which has undergone a special fermentation
process, distinct patterns are painted onto the fabric using sticks,
brushes or reeds.
 The cloth then is soaked in natural solutions which bind the colour
left behind by the mud to the fabric.
 Once dried, each piece of fabric becomes a totally unique work of
art, in hues of red, brown, yellow, black and white, and patterns with
a distinct regional aesthetic.

12.  The Shibori dyeing process was developed during a time when the
Japanese lower classes were forbidden from wearing silk and brightly
coloured clothing.
 Shibori is both versatile and easily applied to cloth to create beautiful,
unique designs, so it was a treasured method.
 It is now a recognised part of Japanese culture and emulated by
fashionistas around the world.
 The process can involve a number of tactics such as stitching, wrapping
or compressing fabric and creating stencils out of a rice based paste
(katazome dyeing) to intentionally prevent the indigo dye from reaching
certain parts of the cloth.

13.  The ancient Indian practice of Ayurvedic medicine not only uses plants to aid health and cure
illness, it can also be drawn upon to create clothing dyes that are good for both the wearers and the
planet.
 The traditional methods of Ayurvastra allow the colours from these plants to be applied to cloth
100% naturally, without the use of any toxic chemicals and causing no harm to animals or people.
 The Monsoon Blooms’ dye house, set in the quiet forests of Kerala in Southern India have been
dyeing fabric for tens of thousands of years, using techniques passed down through the
generations.
 There are over 1200 medicinal plants grown at the dye house, and those used to dye and bleach
include turmeric, aloe vera, and the treasured neem plant.

14. o Scotland’s Harris tweed worn for its hardy warmth, is traditionally dyed
using natural colours and ecologically friendly dye processes.
o The deep reds, purples and yellow checks of the Scottish kilt are created
from lichens, a type of fungus, and the plant woad to create the blues.
o The colours themselves are intended to evoke the rich hues of the
Scottish landscape.
o The dyeing of Harris tweed is actually the first step in the production of the
fabric. The pure wool is dyed in different base colours, which are then
broken up by hand and tossed together.
o They are then fed into a machine which shreds and blends these base
colours, creating unique hues for every piece of yarn.

15.  The Spanish conquistadors were in awe of the vivid colours of the fabrics
they saw being made and traded by indigenous Mayans, Incans and Aztecs.
 The vivid reds, now known as cochineal, were produced by boiling and
drying coccid insects and then grinding them into a red powder.
 This dye became a significant export for the region, and is now still used to
colour many cosmetics.
 But there were, and still are natural, plant based dyeing methods used in
the region too. Traditional Mayan artisans use boiled banana leaves as a
mordent.
 This allows natural dyes to adhere to cloth and prevents them from fading
with time.
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16.  The world is experiencing the distinct aesthetics and
visual style of different cultures.
 And colour is often at the heart of this cultural
expression, particularly in the beautiful clothing worn in
different parts of the world.
 Dying opened up fabrics to a new realm of creativity
and self-expression.
 With the ability to brighten up a gloomy day and put a
smile on our face - dying has coloured our world and
changed the face of fabrics for the better.
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17.  https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/92/natural-dyes
 https://nptel.ac.in/content/storage2/courses/116104046/1.pdf
 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5315675/
 https://blog.patra.com/2016/09/07/to-dye-for-a-history-of-natural-and-synthetic-dyes/
 https://goodonyou.eco/natural-traditional-and-diy-dyes-from-around-the-world/
 https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/dyes.shtml
 https://fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/fashion-clothing-industry/natural-dyes
 https://www.keycolour.net/blog/the-evolution-of-textile-dyes-history-and-
development/
 https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/70564
 https://www.fsw.cc/natural-dyes-history/