Last month, we visited our long-standing production partner Green Matters Natural Dye Company in Gap, Pennsylvania for a collaborative natural dyeing and mending workshop entitled "The Slow Fashion Tool Kit" designed to give participants the foundational skills required to repair and transform the natural fiber garments already in their wardrobes.
Located in Amish country just a short drive from the city of Lancaster, Green Matters has the feel of an artist residence meets art school meets micro factory, and was founded by Lancaster County native Winona Quigley in 2016. As a student at Parsons School of Design, Quigley originally started the business a botanically dyed clothing brand but quickly learned her passion lay more in natural dyeing than in fashion design.
An over-six-thousand-year-old process, natural dyeing makes use of plants, fungi, and bugs to create color. Green Matters uses a mix of large, heated naturally fermented indigo vats and even bigger stainless steel paddle dye machines for most other dyes since they require a process known as mordanting (French: "biting") that allows dyestuffs to chemically bond with fibers.
Over the course of our trip, we had the pleasure of meeting the current team at Green Matters, a small group of natural dyers, artists, and artisans who are passionate about both the art and utility of natural dyeing, including as a tool to reduce garment and chemical waste. A multi-pronged operation, Green Matters helps individuals give old garments new life through natural over-dyeing and also reduces the need for environmentally polluting synthetic dyes by partnering with brands like us on new, naturally dyed garments and accessories.
Green Matters also champions natural dye education, which is why we were so grateful to collaborate with them on a workshop. During the first half of the day, Winona lead participants through the process of creating and maintaining a naturally fermented fructose indigo vat at home in a five-gallon bucket. Participants then received instruction from both Winona and our designer Jacob Victorine in natural indigo and shibori dyeing techniques before using Green Matters' natural indigo vats. During the second half of the day, Jacob lead participants through a variety of hand-sewing and visible mending techniques that allow for the repair, and even construction, of garments at home.
For more on our time with Green Matters in Pennsylvania, scroll through the photo essay below.
