Indigo can glow if you do it right. The process can be tedious and slow, but if the dying is done just right by a master, then the odds are in your favor that you can produce something magical. This color has a long history- from being used for wrapping mummies in Egypt, the color of the rugs mentioned in the Odyssey, medicinal purposes in Rome, and not to mention the monetary value it holds as a valuable export up to the present day. One of the first accounts about Indigo dying came from Marco Polo, the famous Venetian who explored Asia. He documented the dying process during his trip to India in 1298.
Originally Indigo was extracted by submerging the plant Indigofera in a pool of water and stepping on them repeatedly for hours. When the color is extracted it is formed into cakes resembling bars of soap. When dyeing yarn with it the bath has an eerie greenish yellow tint but when the yarn is removed and oxidation occurs by exposure to the air the yarn turns into the brilliant blue it's known for.
It's rich, deep, and luxurious color is timeless and it can add an amazing element to your interior- expansive, dreamy and inspirational.
Historically, Indigo is a natural dye extracted from the Indigofera Tinctoria plant and the earliest indication of its domestication is in India. Today most indigo blue color is synthetically produced, but here at Carini Lang we strive to stay true to the art of indigo dying. We do everything using the best Indigo and follow the most ancient techniques to produce living colors.
Indigo textiles are being used more and more in interiors today in incredibly creative ways. As well as being aesthetically pleasing, blue is the color of peace and tranquility - a wonderful reason to use this color in your home. Whether in bold amounts or light touches, indigo is a beautiful accent color with a special energy. Here are some inspiration photos on how to integrate indigo into your home!
As we mentioned, indigo dying has been used for hundreds of years, and some of the oldest decorative pieces are the most enchanting. You might be asking yourself "where can I find beautiful rare indigo textiles"? Our Creative Director and owner, Joseph Carini, has been sourcing indigo textiles for quite a while and has put together a collection of some of the most beautiful pieces he has discovered. These textiles can be purchased from 1st Dibs or through our showroom in New York City. Check out some highlighted items from the collection below!
This particular textile is from West Africa. The most interesting thing about this textile is how the graphic pattern is created. The artists use a paste, sometimes made from potato starch, to graph out the pattern and then the cloth is dyed. Sometimes the artists go back and create more patterns that have a layered look and dye them again until their vision is accomplished.
The variety in color depends on how long you soak the fabric. The deeper the Indigo color the longer the fabric soaked in the dye. The fabric pictured above has a brilliantly light color which reminds us all of our perfect pair of blue jeans. This textile probably had only one dye session to maintain the lightness.