#DiversityoftheDye
April is not only the month we talk about sustainability, Fashion Revolution and Earth Day, it also has a day that is dedicated to Tie Dye. So.....Mark your calendars for April 30th and make sure you are sporting your favorite tie dye piece.
Do you know the history of Tie Dye? I have to say I didn't so I went searching. This is what I found.
Tie-dye is considered to be a product of pre-history. Even though fabric was perishable and long ago disintegrated, archeologists still established that a variety of stamps could have been used for printing fabric five thousand years ago in Mesopotamia and India. In one thousand B.C., cloths such as those used to wrap mummies were found in dyed form in Egypt. It's possible that the dying techniques trekked through various trade routes from India to Egypt.
Something that is so old is somehow always new. Artists and dyers over the years have used all different forms of dyestuffs as well as techniques that have been developed to form the resists.
The term Tie Dye is not the only way it is referred to . In China, this type of dying was popular in the 6th Century. Another term for Chinese tie-dye is "zha ran". This is an ancient traditional dying method. The ancients called it "jiao xie" dying.
In India the girls who worked with this art were known as 'bandhanii. The girls grew the nails of their thumbs and forefingers very long so they were able to pick up small points of material to bind with cotton, producing little dots on the fabric. Here it is called Bandhana.
We also know that in Japan this resist technique can take many hours for one garment. The Japanese version is called Shibori.
We also know that in the 60's it became a political statement. It certainly showed what side one was on with regards to the Vietnam War.
At Steel Pony we use a combination of techniques to achieve our "tie Dye". And we will be celebrating the diversity of the Dye on April 30th. I hope to see your posts sporting yours. Use #DiversityoftheDye to showcase yours on social.
Check out our "Tie Dye".
