Would you consider wearing flower dyes in your clothes, rather than petrol? asks Babs Behan, a Natural dyer, and author of the book ‘Botanical Inks’. She is based in England. She spends her time and energy dying natural fabrics with naturally extracted colors from flowers and roots. Her TEDx talk about her book points out the dangers associated with fashion clothing colored in petrochemical dyes and Azo dyes. She goes on to say “Our Skin is Earth itself… It takes in whatever we give it, it acts as a barrier and also as a conduit for outside substances to enter our body”
No matter how far-fetched this might seem in today’s synthetic fast fashion-driven world. The origins of understanding the correlation between clothing and health come from Ayurveda, an Indian ancient school of medicine. As Indians, we need to be aware of these concepts of good health and clothing. Our foreign counterparts learn about these concepts through research or personal suffering, which prompts them to travel to India and find answers. The above author, Babs Behan too, travelled to India to learn about Ayur Vastra, a branch of Ayurveda that talks about treatment through touch. Ayur means Life, and Vastra means clothing. Ayur Vastram means “Life Clothing”.
Ayurvastram is medicine/herb-induced clothing that helps heal conditions like skin infections, diabetes, eczema, psoriasis, and other common ailments such as hypertension, heart ailments, high blood pressure, asthma, and diabetes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CREATIVE RESEARCH THOUGHTS - IJCRT (IJCRT.ORG) published a report on this topic in detail on how various colors are achieved through herbs and roots. These colors are recommended for people with chronic conditions, to be used as bedclothes, pillow covers, sleepwear, and even coir mats.
Ancient India has been a leader in showing the world, what to wear, and how to live. In every household, we use some form of Ayurvedic remedies. And today’s India is a hub for start-ups and entrepreneurial spirit. While 65% of her population is below 40 years of age. The guidance shown by our ancestors on wellness and healing can be made into thriving business models and systems to generate employment and boost the economy while being sustainable and eco-friendly.
One such start-up is in Coimbatore… Naturally dyed Organic cotton clothing company Livbio. Clothes here are dyed with natural dyes. These are for regular and casual wear. As they say, Prevention is better than cure. Let's make a smart choice in adorning naturally dyed clothing that originated in India and is now, made in India.
