Why indigo?

  • Natural Indigo is produces colorfast fabrics and a wide range of beautiful blues.

  • Indigo fabric has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti fungal effects on the skin. Creating a supportive barrier for sensitive skin. Tyrptanthrin and isatin are the active components in indigo.

  • Beginning with plants, natural indigo dyeing creates a production, in line with the earth. Natural dyeing uses less water, renewable resources and zero chemicals.

What is indigo?

The history of indigo dates back more than five thousand years ago. Indigofera and woad are used across cultures to dye fiber, with many methods to reduce it to a dyeable form. The first evidence is found in the Indus River Valley and theres further evidence it was used to color burial linens in Egypt.

“The chemical formula for natural and synthetic indigo are the same, but the synthetic dye has stuff like formaldehyde in it, and synthetic dyes are all petroleum based," says Hardy. "The way we manufacture and dye clothes isn't good for people or the environment. And slavery is still a thing in the garment industry.”
— Donna Hardy

Synthetic Indigo was first tested and launched in the 19th century, taking over the world’s indigo production. It was cheaper and more stable than the natural version, which made the switch much more profitable. Because of its high demand, labor exploitation was common in countries like India under the British empire.

Processing Indigo

The journey of the indigofera seed to reduced liquid, involves different stages of production. The seeds are planted in early spring and first harvested around midsummer. Leaves are separated from the stems and slowly dried over a few months. Dried leaves are combined with water, wheat & heat to ferment the indigo.

It’s important to understand the history of indigo and its role in the today’s environmental and labor conditions. Having more natural and eco friendly options is an important step in becoming more sustainable
in the industry.

Sasa Indigo

Our story started in 2022, when we started exploring indigo dyeing and Japanese shibori techniques. Interested in connecting further with each other and our heritage, we began using our family name ‘Sasa’. Since then, we’ve learned about the historical, spiritual, and artistic impact of indigo and want to share that with our community.