Process Indigo

In the Gonja district of Northern Ghana, indigo dyeing is said to be as old as the place itself. Here, the fresh leaves of the West African Wild Indigo plant known locally as Garra are harvested, pounded with an ashy mordant, and fermented in pits 6-7 feet deep. The dye takes several days to develop and can last anywhere between three days and three weeks before spoiling, depending on the weather. Once ready, local dyers repeatedly dip cotton yarn slated to be woven into garments into the natural dyestuff. The yarn aerates in between dips, transforming the Indigo from a rich green to a vivid blue, and then almost black, as it oxidizes.