Care Instruction
How to care for your botanically dyed garment in the wash and over years of wearing.
The Short Answer: How to wash your botanically dyed garment ?
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Wash in cold water, up to 30°C.
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Wool and silk items should always be hand-washed. Dry wool flat to prevent stretching.
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Cotton, linen, and other plant-based fabrics can be machine-washed or hand-washed.
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Use a pH-neutral detergent (avoid natural detergents with citric acid or sodium carbonate).
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Dry in the shade.
The Long Answer: The proposal of plant dyed garments
Natural dyes are sometimes called living colours because they shift in different light and evolve with time. The permanence of a colour (its “fastness”) depends on four things: the mordanting process, the plant used, the quality of the fabric, and how you care for it.
All Wear Tinctorium pieces are carefully pre-treated through a mordanting process with mineral salts. This creates an insoluble bond between plant dye and fabric, brightens the colours, and makes them resistant to washing and wear. But each plant has its own personality: some dyes gently fade over the years while others darken, and some even reveal subtle undertones as they age.
At Tinctorium Studio, we view this natural aging as part of the poetry of plant color. Just like all living things, dyed fabrics will carry the story of their use. A handful of beloved clients even prefer the prints years later, as they become more subtle and delicate.
And when the colours of your piece have reached the end of their life, it’s not the end of the garment. It’s an opportunity for renewal. You’re welcome to return your piece to be re-dyed, or you can join a workshop to learn how to refresh your own wardrobe with the plants around you.
By contrast, synthetic dyes seem to promise more “permanence,” but they come at a huge toxic cost and are not immune to light, wash, and wear. The textile industry is the second-largest polluter of freshwater worldwide, largely because of the heavy metals, petrochemicals, and toxic byproducts used in synthetic dyeing. These substances harm rivers, soil, and the health of the communities that live and work around dye houses. Textile workers can be seen in full protective gear but then we wear those same textiles in direct contact with the largest, porous organ of our body - our skin. Are you willing to pay that price?
For us the answer is no. We’ll opt for natural, living colors that connect us to our surroundings and give us a chance to intervene and revive the garments we love as needed.
