While brands and fashion houses become more and more au fait with using natural dye, it’s a craft that can easily be done at home with very basic equipment. It’s also a quick and satisfying way to reinvigorate old clothes or take a craft project a step further by dyeing the elements for yourself.
“It’s a labour of love, but it’s so rewarding,” says Christine. “People’s lives are so busy, natural dyeing is a way of slowing down and focussing the mind. Like yoga, once you’re doing it, you can’t think about anything else. It’s so relaxing.”
“At the core of its popularity is a greater awareness of what we’re doing to the planet,” she adds. “People are more conscious of what they’re eating, the clothes they’re wearing and the waste they’re producing. Long may it continue.”
If you want to start natural dyeing yourself, follow Christine’s beginner’s guide, which uses pomegranate rinds to create a rich, ochre yellow dye.