March 17, 2021
How to care for plant-dyed clothes
At Ishiteshiro Clothing Store, we do vegetable dyeing using local plants.
This creates a wide range of nuanced colors that are difficult to describe in a single word, such as pink, yellow, khaki, etc.
Even with the same plant, the colors that emerge vary depending on the time of dyeing, and even if dyed at the same time, different colors will emerge depending on the dyeing method. For example, if you dye cedar before May when it has its pollen, it will take on an orange tint, but in other seasons it will produce a vivid lemon yellow color.
Loquat leaves in the cold season have a deeper pink color, and on broken cherry blossom branches before the flowers bloom, a pink-beige color reminiscent of cherry blossoms appears. We will introduce how to care for plant-dyed clothing so that you can enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime colors of the plants for a long time.
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<Washing instructions>
Use a neutral detergent and wash by hand or in the washing machine with a weak water flow in a laundry net. (*Please avoid using strong alkaline detergents as they may cause discoloration. Synthetic detergents containing bleach can also cause fading.)
If you turn the clothes inside out, the colour will fade more slowly.
Dry in the shade out of direct sunlight, and once dry, store in a dark place.
<How to iron>
Turn the item inside out, cover it with a cloth and heat it on low heat.
<Storage method>
Store in a dark place. Partial exposure to sunlight may cause sunburn.
<Notes on use>
Depending on the dye material (dyeing method), if the juice of highly acidic citrus fruits such as lemon or yuzu splashes on the fabric, the color may fade in that area. If this happens, wash the area immediately.
If bleach splashes onto the item, the color may fade in that area.
*If the color has faded in part, even if you dye it again, there is a high chance that it will end up looking like a stain.
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The colors of plants are gentle, and it is often difficult for them to stay the same color forever. However, rather than the colors "fading," it seems as if the deep colors of the plants, which have many layers, "emerge" in different forms, and we enjoy watching these color changes.
Plant-dyed clothing changes differently over time depending on the wearer and how it is handled, so we hope you will enjoy wearing it as "clothes that grow with you."