Crafting Something Special
Float through summer in our colourful gauze collection made by Olivia Aubrecht, the incredible artist and garment maker. Olivia creates each item here in Toronto through a technique called “immersion dyeing”, which is simply giving each garment a dye bath! This is done by hand in small batches allowing for less water waste than traditional industrial dyeing.
In this process, the dyes and auxiliary chemicals are carefully combined with water. Once thoroughly mixed, the garments are added in for 45 minutes. Factors such as time, temperature, pH level, and weight of fiber all contribute to the consistency of the dye baths. The clothing must be closely watched to ensure the bath does not entirely exhaust, as this causes the vibrant colours to fade.
Opting to dye the collection by hand means there are only a limited number of truly unique pieces. Every shirt, pair of shorts, and dress is slightly different, making every item one of a kind!
To learn more about Olivia and her own impressive line of hand-made, up-cycled garments, check out our original blog post on her creative process and road to textile making.
