Japanese Shibori 

Shibori tie-dye is historic, sustainable, beautiful and on trend.

Shibori is a centuries old Japanese dye technique, usually involving pleating, tying, wringing, and sometimes poles or sticks—in our case, popsicle sticks. It was first imported from China and there are examples going back well over a thousand years.

Shibori dyeing in indigo was especially popular amongst the poorer classes in feudal Japan. Unable to afford expensive fabrics like cotton and silk, even forbidden to wear silk, cheap hemp clothing was widespread. Shibori tie dye was used to restore, renew and beautify old, worn and stained clothing, a concept that is welcome and trending in today’s embrace of responsible sustainable fashion..

Continuing the theme of sustainability, the most frequent shibori dye is indigo, made from the flowers of the legume Indigofera, belonging to the pea family. Legumes are used worldwide as a nutrient-replenishing cover crop to return fertility to the soil. Being a natural pigment, the dye is safe for the environment.