What is Dip-Dyeing?

Many of Silk Ranch pieces are listed as "dip-dyed".  These dresses look a little bit like the tie-dye or batik clothing from the 1960s & 1970s.  

Silk Ranch dip-dyed clothing starts as a vintage Indian saree.  It is usually a light color, perhaps with an existing subtle pattern on the silk.  Most of these sarees have intricate embroidery or sequins on the original light colored silk.

In creating the new design the dye colors are chosen.  Brights and dark dyes work the best - such as brilliant blue or hot pink.  These whole sarees are then twisted, dyed and set.  The result is a fabulous two or more color fabric with the new dye forefront but the original patterns, embroidery and other embellishments retained.  Often the embroidery doesn't take the dye so it stands apart in the most wonderful way.

The use of over-dyeing is another way that Silk Ranch creates sustainable clothing using the highest quality silks.  Some of the original light colored saree silks contained stains and other damage and the dyeing is a way to recover and re-use this silk in new clothing.