Natural dyes are gentle on cloth, eco-friendly and an ode to India’s living heritage. Brinda Gill unearths the concept of natural dyes through some enriching insight from Sarfraz Khatri, Mumbai-based traditional hand-block printer at Pracheen.
![In Sync With The Earth](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/2233/247582/59ea069a3d37a/In-Sync-With-The-Earth.jpg)
“The fine art of vegetable printing and dyeing dates back to the Indus Valley Civilisation. Over three thousand years ago, Indian craftspersons turned out colour-perfect printed textiles without the sophistication of the present day dye technology. The raw materials for these colours were not chemicals but the roots and flowers of plants and vegetables”, says Sarfraz Khatri, Mumbai-based traditional hand-block printer at Pracheen (www.pracheen.com). He is deeply committed to the practise of hand-block printing using natural dyes in the footsteps of his father Ahmed Khatri, a master craftsperson who has received a National Award for his expertise in hand-block printing with natural dyes, and forefathers who practised hand-block printing.
FROM THE EARTH
Natural dyes are extracted from leaves, bark, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and roots following different techniques such as such as boiling, making a solution or making a paste. Among the ingredients used for obtaining colour are madder or mangishtha for obtaining a deep red, catechu for brown, mehndi for green, pomegranate skin for yellow, natural indigo for shades of blue, grey from eucalyptus leaves, shades of beige and brown from tea leaves, and black from fermented water of scrap iron.
A LABOURIOUS PROCESS
This story is from the October 2017 edition of Apparel.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2017 edition of Apparel.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![All About Dressing As You Want](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2233/856879/61fa71df6ae51/crp_Easy-fits-unstructured-cuts.jpg)
All About Dressing As You Want
A. Das uncovers the current trend which is all about dressing as you want. Easy, over-sized, baggy fits and unstructured cuts are ruling every wardrobe.
![Online Shopping Likely To Reach $1.2 Trillion By 2025](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2233/856879/61fa788057a9a/crp_Online-shopping-likely-to-reach-12-trillion-by-2025.jpg)
Online Shopping Likely To Reach $1.2 Trillion By 2025
Market Watch
![Weaving A Sustainable Future](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2233/856879/61fa7142171ff/crp_Weaving-A-Sustainable-Future.jpg)
Weaving A Sustainable Future
Brinda Gill talks to Ashita Singhal, awardwinning weaver, designer and social entrepreneur, and founder, Paiwand Studio, who is committed to converting textile waste into new, meaningful textiles.
![Summer of 2022](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2233/856879/61f927219fb4e/crp_Summer-of-2022.jpg)
Summer of 2022
Heer Kothari walks our eager onlookers through the runways of New York, Milan and Paris, exploring the nuance of summer styling for men in 2022
![Journeying for the Joth](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2233/856879/61fa7646b117c/crp_Journeying-for-the-Joth.jpg)
Journeying for the Joth
Brinda Gill drafts the interesting journey of Vinay Narkar, a textile designer and revivalist based in Solapur, spared no effort in the pursuit of joth, one of the lost weaves of Maharashtra, and reviving it.
![Go Digital - Get Organised Reshamandi Style!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2233/856879/61f92810cf8eb/crp_Go-Digital-Get-Organised-Reshamandi-Style.jpg)
Go Digital - Get Organised Reshamandi Style!
Heer Kothari explores India’s first and largest market-place, digitising the natural textile supply chain. It is a full stack ecosystem in the form of a super app, starting from farm to fashion.
![Erotissch – Stitching differently](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2233/856879/61fa6f37c214f/crp_Erotissch-Stitching-differently.jpg)
Erotissch – Stitching differently
Chitra Balasubramaniam explores Erotissch, a brand by women for women, based on the concept of ‘Bed to street wear'.
![Colourful Fable](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2233/856879/61fa782aaa376/crp_Colourful-Fable.jpg)
Colourful Fable
A. DAS interviews Karan Torani to find out the inspiration behind the designs of his label Torani and his thoughts on it being widely welcomed and connected well.
![Going #PLUS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2233/823691/61c98c3cd0e31/crp_Going-PLUS.jpg)
Going #PLUS
Heer Kothari explores the growth of the Plus Size apparel segment in India.
![Endorsing Desi Oon](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2233/823691/61c9928e29ac8/crp_Endorsing-Desi-Oon.jpg)
Endorsing Desi Oon
Brinda Gill discovers India’s indigenous wools, locally called Desi Oon, which hold potential for use in the apparel industry