Our process
Five steps, all by hand.
From raw cotton to finished dress takes about three weeks. Here's what happens in between.
- 01
Cotton scouring
The raw mul-mul is washed twice with soap-nut water to open the fibres so the dye can bond. No bleach, no synthetic wetting agents.
- 02
Mordanting
The fabric is soaked in alum and myrobalan — plant tannins that help colour hold. This is what makes natural dye last through many washes.
- 03
The dye vat
Indigo ferments for six days before it's ready. Turmeric root is boiled fresh. Madder is slow-simmered. The dyer decides by hand and eye when the shade is right.
- 04
Leaf printing
Real teak, neem, tulsi and eucalyptus leaves are placed on the dress, wrapped tight in cotton, then steamed. The leaf gives its own shape and pigment to the cloth.
- 05
Sun drying
Every piece dries flat under Tamil Nadu sun. This sets the colour and gives the fabric its soft, lived-in hand.