True Indigo
Extracted from the leaves of the indigo-bearing plant, this temperamental vat yields a spectrum ranging from pale morning sky to the deepest midnight blue.
Botanical Alchemy
Living Color
Living Color
from the Earth
At our studio, we extract vibrant, enduring hues from plants, roots, and minerals. Our dyeing process is a deliberate collaboration with nature, honoring centuries-old traditions to produce textiles that breathe with living color.
Explore the Source
The Pigments
Root, Leaf, and Wood
We rely on a foundational palette of historical dye plants, carefully sourced and prepared to yield colors that mature beautifully over time.
Madder Root
An ancient dye yielding rich terracotta, brick red, and deep coral hues. The exact shade depends entirely on careful temperature control and the mineral content of the water.
Weld & Tannins
Foraged weld, oak galls, and chestnut bark gathered seasonally provide complex luminous yellows, warm grays, and the essential earthen base tones that ground our collection.
Studio Methods
The Rhythm of the Vat
Extraction & Mordanting
Creating the dye liquor is an exercise in restraint. Plant matter is steeped, heated, and sometimes fermented for days to encourage the release of pigment. Simultaneously, natural fibers must be scoured and treated with mineral salts—a process known as mordanting—to ensure the color bonds permanently to the textile rather than simply coating its surface.
Submersion & Oxidation
The act of dyeing is a quiet choreography. Fibers are lowered gently into the warm vat, allowing the pigment to penetrate deeply into the weave. For colors like indigo, the true magic happens not in the water, but in the air: as the textile is lifted from the vat, oxygen interacts with the invisible dye, developing the final, indelible shade before our eyes.
Our Philosophy
Patience and Respect for the Source
Natural dyeing cannot be rushed. It is a slow, methodical discipline that rejects the immediacy and flat uniformity of modern synthetic alternatives. Every variable—from the mineral composition of the water to the season a root was harvested—leaves its fingerprint on the final color.
We embrace these subtle variations. Each textile we produce bears the living essence of the plant it originated from, creating a fabric that feels inherently grounded and fundamentally alive.
Zero Synthetics
Our vats are entirely free from synthetic heavy metals and petrochemical derivatives.
Water Conservation
Dye baths are meticulously exhausted and neutralized before safe, responsible disposal.
Organic Fibers
We only apply our colors to ethically milled linen, organic cotton, and raw silk.
Composting
Exhausted roots, bark, and leaves are returned to the soil to nourish the next cycle.
Studio Enquiries
Have questions about our dyeing process or wish to commission a specific color?
Email
hello@indigoandmadder.fr
Phone
+33 2 40 73 18 26
Studio Location
10 Rue Crébillon, Nantes, Pays de la Loire 44000, France