Artistry in Indigo: The Transformative Power of Natural Dyes
Photo by: @indigocustomtextile
The Power of Natural Dyes
Since 2005, INDIGO has been creating sustainable eco-fashion. The force behind the woman-powered INDIGO is Olga Reiche and her work’s been featured in Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue Mexico.
Olga is a Guatemalan woman of German and Queqchí descent who has spent nearly four decades mastering the art of natural dyes and indigo in Guatemala. This self-taught woman specializes in handwoven textiles and trains Indigenous groups on the art of natural dyes. Her garments are made from recycled and reused materials.
She employs Indigenous women who work mostly out of their homes and weave primarily weave on backstrap looms while incorporate elements of their Mayan heritage.
Join us in this Naturally Smart Travel blog post as we step into Olga’s world and learn about the importance of natural dyes, cultural heritage, and textile art.
Olga Reiche is the lead designer of INDIGO and her team of weavers produces naturally dyed threads made from sustainable plant materials.
Olga Reiche: A Self-Taught Dye Expert
In 1978, Olga worked for Oxfam International and was traveling through different parts of Guatemala. During this time her love of textiles was ignited as she got to know many Guatemalan weavers in the highlands.
Olga calls Antigua home; it’s where she runs and operates her studio, INDIGO which specializes in natural dyed clothing with organic fibers and recycled plastics that are woven on looms, primarily by Indigenous men and women.
The handwoven textiles feature eco-dyed thread and yarn with designs inspired by the weaver’s Mayan cultural heritage.
The Rich History of Indigo and Natural Dyes
The history of indigo is deeply ingrained in Guatemalan culture. Indigo produces vibrant hues while connecting to a people’s history and traditional techniques.
Let’s take a look at growing, harvesting, and creating indigo.
Growing & Harvesting Indigo
The indigo plant requires a unique growing environment. At the same time, the processes of harvesting and creating the actual indigo dye takes time, intention, and care.
Once the indigo plant is grown, the range and intensity of the colors of the actual dye are influenced by the pull of the moon. The grower needs to be aware of what they're looking to achieve and how they can achieve it.
The leaves of the plant contain the dye and the dye potential decreases about 25% when the plant flowers. The processor needs to be intuitively aware of the moon cycle as a full moon indigo achieves that beautiful dark denim indigo color.
Processing Indigo
After harvest, the leaves are submerged in water, covered, and left to ferment. Once the liquid is ready, the leaves are squeezed to extract the extra liquid. Then the liquid is strained to remove any leftover leaves and debris. This liquid is continuously poured back and forth between buckets, creating aeration to strengthen the hue.
The next step includes increasing the pH level of the liquid and letting the indigo liquid mixture settle until the indigo is at the bottom of the container which will be siphoned off.
The steps of settling and siphoning are repeated over and over until it’s time to pour the liquid into a tray allowing it to become solid. Et voilà, you have indigo powder!
Photo credit: @indigocustomtextile
Natural Dyes & Traditional Uses
Natural dyes include carrots, beets, seeds, pumpkin rinds, and more! In Guatemala today, and for most of the developing world, including those living in rural or tribal communities, people tend to utilize whatever is close by and available to them.
The huipil is the traditional garment worn by the Indigenous women in Guatemala and tells a story of their family and community. Each huipil tells a unique story of history, place, and family that’s told through color. You can tell where someone is from by the color of their dyes.
Empowering Women through Education
In 1987, Olga opened a shop that supported the widows of Guatemala’s brutal civil war. She began with 27 women and that number steadily grew up to 700.
Today, INDIGO helps to keep Guatemalan weaving traditions alive in the local communities. Olga's initiatives are to educate women on creating threads from natural materials like cotton and vegetable fibers. Indigo holds a special place in the hearts of Guatemalans because of its traditional significance while also offering a means of employment.
Many Guatemalans are drawn to Westernize themselves or achieve their dreams through hard work. Creating demand for handmade natural dyed fibers and hand-woven clothing guarantees work opportunities for Guatemalan people who want to better their lives, fulfill their dreams, or simply put food on the table. A consistent means of income provides security and comfort for families.
Photo credit: @indigocustomtextile
Olga employs local women and gives them economic opportunities to support themselves and their families. Olga’s work also preserves the traditional weaving techniques of Guatemala. Today she employs artisans and weavers in Guatemala, Bolivia, Mexico, and the Canary Islands.
Olga supplies women with the seeds they need to create dyes, the tools they need to create the fibers, and the funds to purchase the looms.
Her work has had a transformative impact on these women’s lives, families, and communities. This is a beautiful example of sisterhood. When women support women, together, we all rise.
Taking a class, participating in workshops, and buying directly from these women keeps the talent of hand looming alive while preserving history and culture.
Olga works with producers and women who create these natural fibers which provides income while contributing to the authenticity of the garments.
The Art of Dyeing Threads
The art of dyeing threads is a full-circle process that begins with hand-making fibers. Certain fibers are better for maintaining the color of the natural dyes. With three decades of experience, Olga is a master in the realm of natural fabrics and dyes!
Scouring & Mordanting
There are many steps in the process of dyeing threads from preparing a color sample chart and testing the different shades from the dyes to mixing dyes to create various shades and hues.
Soaking plants and barks in water helps extract the natural dyes that can be used for dyeing fibers. These steps are crucial for achieving vibrant and long-lasting colors in natural dye and fiber creations.
Scouring and mordanting are important processes for preparing vegetable fibers for dyeing. Scouring involves removing impurities and oils from the fibers, while mordanting helps the dye adhere to the fibers and improve color fastness.
Mordanting and color extracting are the processes of using tannins to prepare fabrics for natural dyeing. This step is crucial in enhancing color extraction and ensuring that the dyes are vibrant and long-lasting.
Grouping and Bundling for Weavers
Olga works specifically with people who are hand-making particular fibers, which she buys and dyes, naturally of course. Next, she considers the color and texture of the textile and selects a design to create a bundle. This packaged template is sent to a weaver who produces a finished garment.
This process is an important collaboration with shared creativity that highlights the beauty of Guatemalan culture while inclusively working with the community to produce this wearable art that preserves tradition, safeguarding it against looming Westernization.
Photo credit: @indigocustomtextile
Preserving Traditional Techniques
Guatemala is known as the land of eternal spring. Keeping up with the production demands of the modern world is one of the country’s biggest difficulties. Oftentimes, shortcuts are taken including using chemicals and dyes which leads to pollution and runoff (the river to the West of Antigua sadly showcases this reality).
Preserving traditional techniques is critical to prevent them from being lost to modern textile practices, overrun by chemicals, dyes, and mass production. It’s vital to care for the natural ecosystem and protect the environment while supporting the local community.
Returning to traditional and natural dyeing techniques not only helps to minimize the use of chemical and foreign solutions that are getting into the waterways but also to keep the historical knowledge of the Indigenous culture from getting lost to the Western world.
Photo credit: @indigocustomtextile
The Indigo Shop
INDIGO Textile Shop is owned and operated by women.
Visit the Antigua storefront and explore the textiles and pieces of work on display. INDIGO has unique offerings because of the time that’s dedicated to each piece. This work is an art form and while wholesale is not an option, they do sell internationally.
Olga travels to various events and conventions around the world. Catch her in New Mexico, Chicago, and Mallorca! Her vision is to expand by continuing to teach people this traditional knowledge and sharing these techniques in order to carry it forward to artists and designers, making it more accessible to the rest of the world.
The shop is stocked with everything from clothing and textiles to dyed threads, housewares, rugs, and more.
Hand Woven, Hand Dyed & Hand Loomed
Olga’s work continues to make a positive impact on the environment by not using chemicals in the clothing-making process. Her business is a way to support and sustain Indigenous artisans and their textile traditions.
Join us on a textile journey in Antigua!
We curate workshops and intensive tours with Indigo! We hope you can make it and learn about the fascinating world of natural dyes and traditional Guatemalan textiles!
Here’s to shopping sustainably and supporting small businesses!
Fashion can be an act of cultural preservation.
Shop In Person:
INDIGO Textile Shop
Antigua Guatemala, 03001, Guatemala
Open daily 9 am to 6 pm.
Photo credit: @indigocustomtextile
Additional Resources
Get involved and support Olga's initiatives by joining a tour or visiting person!
Socials:
INDIGO Facebook page.
INDIGO Instagram page.
Books:
Dye Plants of Guatemala by Olga Reiche.
The Biology of Culture, “Indigo in Guatemala” by Olga Reiche.
Articles & Interviews:
The Natural Dye Project: Bringing together a global team by Catherine Ellis.
