The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically. There is a big lack considering transparency in the average production system in which apparel products are manufactured, regarding employees conditions and fair wages, the material used, the impact the industry is having in ecosystems and clients’ consumption awareness.

Fashion brands are now re-introducing eco-conscious methods at the source through the use of environmentally friendly materials and socially responsible methods of production and trade.

We believe in building an industry that values people, the environment, creativity and profit in equal measure. We should start by making the industry more transparent, so that collectively we can see and begin to understand how it truly works. The time is now to consider how we can develop a cleaner, fairer, more sustainable future for the fashion/textiles industry. Since the majority of garment workers are female, the effective protection of women’s rights is an imperative issue.

The textile industry in one side is one of the most polluters industries in the world but also that generates a good amount of work places. With this workshop, we would like to invite the participants to think about the products they are buying, about aware purchasing and quality products consumption. Also to be informed and conscious about how clothes are made, the impact this industry has on workers conditions and environment. Promoting green technics to produce garments it means to take care of the environment and it is connected with quality of living for the artisans.

The Natural Dye Workshop works to value and promote Guatemala rich and diversified nature and to promote organic cultivation of plants. It also values the artisanal special way of dyeing and a historical cultural practice. Utilizing only natural materials, especially plants, the colors produce can be different tones of green, grey, beige, yellow, blue, brown and pink.

Cultural and Historical Significance 

The natural dye process is an ancestral techniques transmitted in oral tradition that contributes to value the identity of the indigenous towns, culture and practices.

Since ancient times, the use of natural substances for the dyeing production has transfer all spheres of the Mesoamerican world. Though the pass of centuries, some cave paintings of different civilizations like Mayas and Aztecs have survived. It can be also appreciate in artistic pieces, like the diversity of mural paintings, in the dichromic and polychromic vessels, the figurines and textiles fragments that evidence the use of colorants and dyes in ceremonial objects and in the use as clothing of elite characters. Besides this evidence, there is still a gap of information, and this corresponds to the use of everyday life, in the elite and the common people of the different civilizations in Mesoamerica. (Ivic & Berger, 2008, p 101)

Materials

For the first classes we will utilize plants we have at Maya Traditions garden, typical from tropical mountains weather, such as pericon, chipilin, coffee leafs, bougainvillea and eucalyptus leafs. Our natural dye Garden in San Juan la Laguna will produce sacatinta, pericon, chipilin, coffee, chilca, palo de pito, granadilla and limón, to be utilized in future demonstrations.

The next class is Friday, June 24th from 9 AM to 12 PM! Please contact [email protected] for more information and to reserve your spot!