Tie-dye

Tie-dye is one of the oldest resist dyeing techniques in the world. The earliest examples come from the Chinese Sui dynasty in the 5th century, in Peru finds are documented from 500-810 AD. In Japan the related shibori technique has been practised since the 8th century. Tie-dye gained global popularity in the late 1960s with the hippie movement — icons like Janis Joplin made the psychedelic look a symbol of the counterculture.

Process: the textile (traditionally cotton) is divided before dyeing into areas by wrapping, folding, knotting, tying with rubber bands or sewing with resist threads that take up more or less colour. Then it is dyed in one or more dye solutions (usually reactive dyes for cotton). After opening the resists the characteristic patterns show up.

Classic patterns are spiral, mandala, stripes, marbling and bulls-eye. For summer fashion, children's wear, festival wear and eco collections, tie-dye has been mainstream again since the late 2010s. On polyester tie-dye works only with disperse dyes (sublimation transfer); classic cotton-reactive dyeing is the simplest DIY variant.