In the 1970’s the ancient art of natural and vegetable dying was revived by Tibetan refugees in Nepal. Although natural and vegetal dying is a very old tradition, each dye master has his own recipes which vary from one to another. In this respect it is like wine making or even cooking.

Aside from the ecological benefits of natural dying, while it is somewhat more costly, the painstaking and labour intensive process provides much needed employment and yields distinctive soft tones which gently fade with age.

Dyes used in the production of Pachamama’s eco range include the following:

• Cutch– derived from mangrove bark provides colours ranging from orange to brown.
• Madder- root and stem of Rubia Tinctoria provides colours ranging from pink to orange.
• Marigold—provides colours from pale yellow to green.
• Sticklac—a resin secreted by the insect laccider lacca provides shades of red.
• Walnut Husks—provides pale brown.
• Indigo—leaf extract provides blues.
• Pomegranate Rind– provides yellow
• Mayrabolan– husks and fruit from Terminlia Cherula tree provides colours ranging from green to yellow