Denim, Art and Fashion

Denim woven from the fibers of the cotton plant and dyed with the leaves of the indigo plant became the fabric of a nation, durable, hard working, synonymous with a life of independence and rugged individualism. From workwear to high fashion, denim can be found in everyone’s closets.

Unfortunately, it can be found in landfills as well, it is difficult to determine the exact amount but most researchers estimated more than 2 million metric tons per year and some say it may account for five percent of the space in landfills.

The production of denim also has an environmental impact. The production of a single pair of blue jeans can use an estimated 2,000 liters of water and many jeans are no longer produced with natural dyes. Billions of denim garments are produced each year. Blue jeans should never be a part of fast fashion, worn and discarded, they need to be treasured, like art.

It is easy to turn jeans into art. Art to start a conversation, art to make an impact on both the environment and the fashion scene.

Vintage jeans, old jeans, ripped jeans, faded jeans work really well

A kistka, ( a hot wax pen, a traditional tool of Pysanky, the Eastern European practice of egg decoration) Available on Amazon (Leriton Set of 3 Pysanky kistka 14.99)

Beeswax (less than 28 grams/ 1 ounce)

RIT liquid dye, 1 cup salt, dishwashing detergent

Wash the jeans, do not add fabric softener, air dry if possible (Reduce Energy Consumption; Install a Clothesline. PlainsPirate in LivingHomesteading instructable) has great information about the benefits of air drying) It also makes the fabric stiffer and easier to add the design. Cut a piece of recycled cardboard the same size as the leg of the jean

I selected a botanical drawing of an indigo plant to spark conversation about the production of denim. The simple lines of a botanical drawing are also easy to replicate. There are several species of Indigo plant that thrive in many parts of the world and have been used to create the rich color of blue denim, the patterns of Adire in West Africa, the Kimonos in Japan and the hand woven rugs from Guatemala. I selected the Indigofera tinctoria, which was commonly grown in South Carolina in the 1800’s. I would also like to try to grow it to produce a natural dye to repeat this project in the future.

The kistka can be bought in different sizes, 0.3mm 0.4mm 0.5mm were used for this project. The size will determine the thickness of the lines. I use tea candles to heat the kistka. Hold the tip just above the flame for about 5 seconds, then press it into the edge of the beeswax to fill the bucket. If the kistka is a new tool for you, it is helpful to practice drawing on a piece of paper. The tool is held similarly to a pen and the “ink” is the melted wax. The wax will resist the dye, it is the same as Batik art, however the kistka is used to apply the wax.

Ideally, in the future I would like to grow and process my own indigo dye. However, for this project I am using RIT dye (indigo and bold blue, 236mL/8 oz). In a five gallon plastic bucket, add about 4 gallons of hot water, 1 cup of salt and a squirt of dish detergent ( I used boiling water because I wanted the dye bath to stay hot, but in hindsight, it was a mistake. The super hot water melted some of the wax during the dying process. So I would recommend a lower temperature, at least 140 degrees but no hotter)

I wanted to create an ombre effect and I only wanted to dye one leg to emphasize that the jeans were recycled, so I suspended the jeans on the clothesline and lowered them into the dye bath. Each section was kept in the bath for 10 minutes. So the ankle area was in the dye bath for a total of 60 minutes and the waist area was in the dye bath for a total of ten minutes.

In a five gallon bucket, add 4 gallons of hot tap water and one bottle of RIT color stay dye fixative (236 mL/8Oz) add the jeans to the fixative bath, leave for 20 minutes. Then rinse with cool water. Hang the jeans on the line to dry. I did the project outside, so the water would be recycled to water the grass. We do not water our lawn, the grass is a native species and depends only on rain water.

Since the dye baths were still set up, I tossed in four t-shirts that had stains, that made them unattractive for daily wear. According to RIT dye “A study by Hult International Business School found that dyeing four shirts you love with one bottle of RIT Dye reduces CO2 emissions by 74% compared to buying four new shirts. All of the shirts came out great, so no need to buy new shirts!

The wax can be removed by boiling (unfortunately I discovered that during the dying process) or by placing a paper towel over the design and ironing it. Set the iron on high or the cotton setting. Put the cardboard form back into the leg of the jean, place a paper towel over the design and iron, keep the iron moving and change the paper towel if needed.

These jeans allow me to be artfully dressed to the nines and I decided to display them as art to spark conversations about the possibilities of choosing fashion choices that make an impact- a positive environmental impact.