3 Ancient Dyeing And Printing Techniques You Can Try Today

In an industry where the pace of production is insane – fast fashion companies produce up to 52 collections per year, which means a new collection each week – slowing down is vital to preserve the environment and protect people. Keeping alive artisanal traditions and supporting small rural workshops is one of the first things to do to change the fashion industry sustainably.

Fashion is closely linked with its artisanal practices, and the erosion of local craft cultures is yet another loss, akin to the near-extinction of rhinos, bees, polar bears, and countless other creatures (…) all in the name of progress

– Orsola de Castro

I’d like to talk to you about some century-old textile dyeing and printing techniques that are anything but old. Indeed, I firmly think that, sometimes, looking back and learning from the past is the best way to move forward.

I know, when it comes to fashion techniques that have survived over the centuries I end up being too emotional! But before diving into the article, let’s make some clarifications.

Textile dyeing and printing: what do clothing hues hide?

Water pollution and scarcity have a lot to do with the fashion industry, maybe much more than you can imagine. The fashion industry produces 20% of global wastewater – it takes more than 7,000 liters of water to make a pair of jeans and around 3,000 liters for a t-shirt. Also, every time we wash our clothes they release tons of microfibers into the ocean.

As if this was not enough, textile dyeing and printing – the two processes that make finished goods from raw textiles – are among the most polluting and harmful aspects of the fashion industry. Fast fashion is mainly produced in Bangladesh and China where workers are likely to touch chemical dyes without wearing adequate protection. In addition, wastewater – a cocktail of carcinogenic chemicals, dyes, salts, and heavy metals – is generally dumped directly into rivers killing animals and polluting drinking water sources.

Long story short: textile dyeing and printing are major reasons for water pollution and scarcity globally. As such, fast fashion clothes – which span from pastels to fluorescent hues – leave huge traces behind. They have a toxic history.

Ancient techniques for a more sustainable fashion industry

Changing consumption habits and slowing them down is a priority. As such, there’s a lot we can do to be more mindful and conscious – from shopping less to buying second hand or supporting ethical brands that use rare yet precious arts to create clothes that are good for the environment and humans.

Most ancient textile techniques are real art forms that combine culture, tradition, and nature with slow processes. They don’t just respect the planet but are inspired by it and celebrate it through the patterns and designs on the textiles.

Let’s explore together three dyeing and printing techniques that slow down the production pace and use natural dyes without compromising on colors, patterns, and trends. The following techniques even more special because are guarded by skilled artisans who prevent them from extinction.

1. Block printing

Block printing is maybe the earliest and slowest of all methods of textile printing. Around 4,500 years ago, the technique of printing onto textiles and paper through woodblocks flourished in China. A few centuries later, Indian artisans learned and refined this technique and still continue to pass it down from generation to generation. Rajasthan – the biggest Indian State – is today the cradle of block printing (aka woodblock printing).

It all starts with creating a stamp from a block of wood by hand-carving it with the preferred design, usually inspired by nature. The woodblock is then dipped into the dye and right after pressed firmly on the fabric, stamp after stamp. Different stamps can be used on the same textile and several layers of dyes can be added too.

The patterns and designs obtained with this technique are just stunning: from simpler geometric patterns to highly detailed flowers and leaves. Can you imagine how many hours of work and how much precision are required to print only a few meters of textiles?

Pros: Block printing is a time-consuming process that doesn’t allow mass production. The artisans can create small batches of timeless design pieces thus avoiding overproduction and eliminating leftovers. Every masterpiece is one-of-a-kind: hand-printing guarantees its uniqueness.

Cons: usually, only eco-friendly and harmless dyes are used (Indians are foremost experts in natural plant dyes), but it’s always good to double-check. Also, you may find some small imperfections on the garment because of the hand-printing process. What’s my opinion? I think that these imperfections make your block printed clothes even more special.

Try Block printing at home:

2. Shibori

I’m sure you have watched at least one “How to tie dye a white t-shirt” video, haven’t you? It’s really funny to see how a basic t-shirt can be turned into a colorful unique piece of clothing. Tie dye is actually one of the styles of the ancient yet incredibly contemporary and popular Shibori dyeing technique.

Shibori has been employed since the 8th century in Japan even though it apparently originated in China many centuries earlier. Shibori is a term derived from the Japanese verb “shiboru” or “wring, squeeze, press”, namely the methods used to create designs and patterns onto textiles. Basically, Shibori uses thread to pinch and stitch the undyed fabric so that it won’t take up the dye.

The pattern is only revealed post dyeing even though the ways of tie textiles follow specific rules. Indeed, Shibori actually refers to a large variety of dyeing styles (around 20, and they can even be combined), which depend on the ways of threading, folding, twisting, and bunching clothes. Here are two examples:

• Arashi shibori: the undyed fabric is wrapped tightly around a pole and bound with strong thread. The result is a diagonally pleated fabric with a pattern that looks like rain (“arashi” means indeed “storm”).
• Kumo shibori: the fabric sections are pleated and spaced, then tightly bound. The result is a spider-like design.

Pros: traditional shibori technique only uses natural indigo, a deep blue dye made from the soaked and fermented leaves of Indigofera tinctoria – a species of bean plant found across many Asian countries.

Cons: on the other side, although natural dye is still in use, most indigo used in textile production today is synthetic. I recommend avoiding clothes dyed with synthetic indigo that, as well as the other synthetic dyes, is extremely polluting. Indeed, it requires the use of many chemicals to be produced which are then released during clothing dyeing.

Try Shibori at home:

3. Batik

With this third ancient technique, we land in Java, Indonesia, where it originated between the 19th and 20th centuries. Even though some earliest evidence very similar to Batik can be traced back more than 1,500 years in Ancient Egypt, China, Japan, Nigeria, and Senegal, this technique is today proudly Indonesian.

Batik is a dyeing technique that uses wax-resist to create intricate patterns. The hot wax is applied by brushes or poured by cantings – specific Batik tools for applying wax that consist of a handle and a copper bowl – onto undyed fabric by artisans who draw amazing designs.

The fabric is then dyed (where there’s the wax the fabric won’t soak dye), the wax is removed with boiling water, and the patterns are finally revealed. The process can be repeated multiple times to create layered patterns with different colors.

The techniques, symbolism, and culture surrounding Batik permeate every milestone of Indonesians’ lives: infants are carried in batik slings decorated with symbols of luck; the dead are shrouded in funerary batik; special designs are created for weddings; clothes with everyday designs are worn regularly in business and academic settings. As such, Batik was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2009.

Pros: what I like the most about this technique is that it’s perfect to use in combination with various natural dyes. Indonesian artisans are great at deriving dyes from mango, rambutan leaves, mahogany, jackfruit, and many more.

Cons: as you can guess, Batik clothing is not vegan nor 100% made from natural sources. The wax used is usually a blend of beeswax and paraffin wax. However, soy wax is a more sustainable, plant-based, natural, and petroleum-free alternative that will hopefully be used more and soon.

Try Batik at home:

Take-home message

Buying block printed or naturally dyed clothes won’t save the planet (at least not in the short run), but it’s a great first step towards a more sustainable, unique, and slow fashion industry. Not to mention the huge contribution to the livelihood of artisans in low-income countries.

Destroying civility in the name of civilization and eradicating ancient traditions, many of which are crucial in procuring abundance and prosperity for their local communities (…) is a case of spectacular self-harm.

– Orsola de Castro

The fashion industry is unlikely to convert to totally manual processes like those I have presented to you in this article. However, we can hope that the industry can take a cue from ancient techniques to evolve in a better direction, which will allow not only to preserve cultural traditions but also to produce unique garments.

What can we do? As consumers, we can do a lot. Let’s start by rejecting fast fashion, learning how to love the clothes we already have in our wardrobes, and preferring conscious brands that, for example, avoid the use of toxic dyes.

Finally, always remember that shopping should be a mindful act, not an impulsive one.