Young Designers 2011

		Young Designers 2011
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Santanu Das | dashantanu@gmail.com

PROJECT BLUE: Experiencing Indigo as a Dye, an Expression and a Culture

Textile Design | GDPD
Guide: Aditi Ranjan
Sponsor: Lori Weitzner Design Inc., New York (USA)

Keywords
Indigo
Natural dyes
Environm entally-friendly

Many plants give yellow, few plants and insects give red, but only one plant species gives the blue dye. This is Indigofera, commonly known as indigo. Of the 40 different species of Indigofera, the one that is known for its yield and quality is the Indigofera tinctoria. A dye known for the extraordinary chemistry involved in its extraction and dyeing process, Indigo is also highly sustainable. The plant residue that is left after the dye’s extraction has high nitrogen content and makes for excellent manure. The invention of synthetic dyes in the late twentieth century has drastically reduced the usage of natural indigo all over the world. Unfortunately, the secret method of preparing a good indigo vat is on the verge of extinction.
My client was keen to include indigo in her design collection in an effort to produce ecologically-conscious products. The project brief was to develop a collection of wall coverings, woven with indigo-dyed natural yarns. I worked closely with the craftsmen and tried to build a system where the money reaches and gets distributed amongst the poorest weavers in a tiny village on the border of India and Pakistan. One of the important aspects of this project was to provide equal benefits to both the buyer and the seller. The fabrics I created are both ecologically sustainable and socially viable.
The project helped me understand better my role as a designer and I learnt to bridge the gap between industry and craft.