I've been on a circuitous journey - beginning with natural dyes. I've questioned the process, it's viability, it's durability, it's cost and sustainability.
I've then researched and sourced 'non toxic' chemical dyes with established large scale dye houses in the Midlands of the UK. Some chemical dyes are even GOTS certified (Global Organic Textile Standard) but are not natural dyes.
Having sent off for sample lengths to a 'non-toxic and sustainable' (but not natural) dye house, I had a sample jacket made up with the cloth, but felt disappointed with the result. I just wasn't getting the colours that I wanted, they were flat plus the fabrics were coming back a bit rough. And the sustainability levels also didn't compare.
So let me tell you why I use natural dye…
Images above show from left to right: woad seedlings and woad harvest (blues), indigo extract and cloth dyed with indigo extract.
There are myriad reasons to embrace natural dyes; not only do they lend beauty to clothing, but they also prioritise your health and well-being. Colours derived from dye plants have a natural beauty with colours harmonising effortlessly with one another, and over time, with careful in washing, they gracefully fade, adding a unique charm to the cloth. When you adjust your eye away from hard chemical colours, they become easy to spot and have their own sort of inherent sparkle. The rich palette of colours and unique variations cannot be replicated with synthetic dyes.
Images above show from left to right: Madder plants (pinks, oranges and reds), mixing madder extract with water and two different types of madder in the dye pot.
The thing is, regular dyes used in most clothing are really toxic. They contain an unbelievable amount of carcinogens, neuro-toxins and endocrine-disruptors to name a few, and they're in the thousands. Buying organic or Oekotex100 standard textiles really helps but the dye also has to be certified.
Have you noticed the acrid smell of a new garment? It's a telltale. And the toxins aren't just used in fast fashion, the luxury end aren't so clean either.
Using natural dyes extracted from plants can actually have therapeutic benefits for the wearer. This offers a holistic approach to fashion combining wellness as well as sustainability.
Images above show from left to right: Weld seedlings and weld plants (citrus yellow), weld dyed cloth and a stack of natural dyed fabric from the Sarah Poland studio.
Growing and foraging for colour
I have been responsibly foraging for dye plants since 2010, and since moving to my plot of land in West Wales eight years ago, I have planted a regenerative edible forest. In the last five years I have worked to establish a regeneratively grown dye garden and use the dye plants I grow to make art work and for the garments create recipes using organically certified dye extracts which are bought in.
Working predominantly with the three primary colours, red yellow and blue, and depending on the dye technique required, I broaden the colour palette by mixing colours together, or byover dyeing
In the poly-tunnel : peach leaves, coreopsis flowers and rosemary can all be used.
Recently I read Alden Wicker’s book, To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion Is Making Us Sick - And How We Can Fight Back. It’s a very good and very scary read. It’s an expose revealing the true cost of toxic, largely unregulated, synthetic fashion and dyes made from fossil fuels and their affect on our bodies and the environment. It’s the stuff that you don’t get to hear about. It’s the stuff you’d rather didn’t exist, but once you know, you know.
To quote a synopsis:
Many of us are aware of the ethical minefield that is fast fashion: the dodgy labour practices, the lax environmental standards, and the mountains of waste piling up on the shores of developing countries. But have you stopped to consider the dangerous effects your clothes are having on your own health? Award-winning journalist Alden Wicker breaks open a story hiding in plain sight: the unregulated toxic chemicals that are likely in your wardrobe right now, how they’re harming you, and what you can do about it.
In To Dye For, Wicker reveals how clothing manufacturers have successfully swept consumers’ concerns under the rug for more than 150 years, and why synthetic fashion and dyes made from fossil fuels are so deeply intertwined with the rise of autoimmune disease, infertility, asthma, eczema, and more. In fact, there’s little to no regulation of the clothes and textiles we wear each day—from uniforms to fast fashion, outdoor gear, and even the face masks that have become ubiquitous in recent years. Wicker explains how we got here, what the stakes are, and what all of us can do in the fight for a safe and healthy wardrobe for all.