INDIGO COTTON JERSEY

I am honoured to be a new member of the ETHICAL FASHION FORUM.

For nearly 12 months I have been searching the globe for INDIGO DYED ORGANIC (FAIR TRADE) COTTON JERSEY. In that time, I have made contact with over 60 potential suppliers from China, India, Pakistan, Peru, Korea and Turkey without success. Japan does produce indigo jersey, but the high price is prohibitive.

I am wanting INDIGO (natural or synthetic) DYED ORGANIC COTTON JERSEY (single jersey), 140 grams per square metre in weight and approximately 150 cms. wide.

Would appreciate any information.

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Permalink Reply by webahandbag on December 1, 2010 at 23:43

This the first time i came to know that all natural dye. So is there any deifference between natural dye and chemical dying?

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Permalink Reply by Rachel Powell on December 2, 2010 at 15:10

Hello... there is a big difference but it depends what your business values are and what you want from your end product. Many checmical dyes are now trying to deal with issues to do with cancer causing ingredients and their other impacts on the environment. Chemical dyes took over from natural dyes (which have been around for thounsands of years) as they were more cost effective and produced more stable colours - less reaction to washing and sunlight etc.

Sadly we got so used to these stable colours that many people now don't appreciate that the "ageing" effects of natural dyes are sometimes even more beautiful. I have a dress that has oxidised and the colour has changed from pale yellow to a burnt, soft orange - it still works amazingly well with the other dyed sections and I just love the fact it has done that - adds interest and character.

My research into dealing with the waste from dye mills seems a big problem as well - I found that despite many different experiments by scientists they found there was not one solution to removing the harmful chemicals as each mill was different in their effluent water. With most natural dyes you can easily dispose of it and many dyers acutally compost their waste ingredients.

I've added you as a friend in case you would like to know more!!!