(Please note natural dyes have a weaker bond with the fabric, which may lead to slight color changes when sweating or rubbing and leaching of colors, so it is recommended to use it with dark clothes or backpacks. We also recommend washing your clothing as little as possible, to make sure the unique color lasts longer. To find out more, see our Alpaca Wool Care page.)
Our natural dyed fabric is 100% biodegradable! Thanks to our royal alpaca fabric, all natural dyes, and pure cotton threads, you are protecting the environment from contamination. This means our line of t-shirts, beanies and neck gaiters are completely biodegradable! Our next steps are to make our zippers and bands sustainable so our entire collections are 100% natural.
Cochineal is a scale insect that lives parasitically on the pads of the prickly pear cactus.
How do we do it?
The insects are harvested from the cacti, dried out and ground. The resulting powder contains carminic acid, which is boiled in water before the yarn/fabric and mineral salts are added.
Indigofera tinctoria is a plant from the bean family that grows around the world. The oldest piece of fabric dyed with indigo was found in Peru, from around 6,000 years old.
Antibacterial dyes!
How do we do it?
The leaves are soaked in water and then left to ferment, converting the naturally present chemical, indican, to indigoton, the blue pigment.
Because of its antibacterial properties, eucalyptus kills bacteria. This helps prevent bad odor and helps you keep fresh.
How do we do it?
The leaves are covered in boiling hot water to extract the dye from them. Depending how long the leaves are boiled for, it determines how dark the color turns out.
There are around 22 natural colors of alpaca fiber, but white alpacas are the most commonly bred, due its versatility.
How do we do it?
There's no extraction involved here: the wool is naturally white! Once the fleece is sheared, trained fiber sorters, classify the fibers by diameter and color.
Recommendations:
Follow our care instructions to ensure your garment lasts as long as possible.