Natural Dyes:
Where Your
Colour Comes From
Fabric dyeing is one of the most impactful processes in the fashion industry. It uses a large amount of water, energy, and chemical inputs. The chemicals used in dyeing can end up in rivers and soil, harming wildlife and the health of people living and working nearby.
That is why it matters to ask a simple question: how can we reduce the impact of our dyeing processes? Using natural dyes is one way to do that.
For our natural dye collection, we worked with Eyand, a Portuguese manufacturer that has spent years developing a natural dyeing process as an alternative to conventional chemical-based dyeing. Their process uses up to 70% less water, runs on 100% renewable energy, replaces many conventional chemical inputs with natural alternatives, and is certified by GOTS and OEKO-TEX.
In short: our natural dyes get their colour from minerals, recycled materials, and plants instead of synthetic chemicals. The dyeing process with our partner Eyand uses less water, runs on renewable energy, and avoids many of the chemicals that make conventional dyeing so polluting. A lower impact alternative to conventional dying.
during dyeing
energy
reduction
on-site
What are natural dyes?
The term 'natural dye' is often used broadly, but it can mean different things. In the case of our collection with Eyand, the dye sources fall into three main categories: natural minerals, recycled minerals, and plant-based ingredients.
Earth range
Made with mineral pigments, such as iron oxides, sourced from naturally occurring minerals or recycled industrial waste.
Green range
Uses dyes of vegetable origin, extracted from roots, bark, peels, berries, and nuts.
Deep range
Dark and saturated shades achieved with 80% natural-origin dyes and 20% conventional dyes, all within GOTS certification.
Is natural dyeing more sustainable than conventional dyeing?
What makes natural dyes different is both the source of the pigments and the dyeing process itself. Eyand's system uses just 2 baths (one for dyeing and one for washing) compared to up to 5 baths in conventional dyeing for dark colours. It avoids a range of conventional chemical additives such as anti-precipitants, equalizers, humectants, salts, and buffers. They use a natural mordant, bio-polishing with non-genetically modified organic molecules, and softeners based on natural fats such as aloe vera, cocoa, mango, or shea.
In terms of water, Eyand's process uses up to 70% less water during dyeing compared to conventional dyeing, and around 50% less water during cotton preparation. Across the full process, Eyand reports an overall 55% reduction in water consumption. The dye house collects rainwater and reuses 50% of the water used during washing via a multi-tank storage system. Wastewater is not discharged into the environment: it is treated by an external specialist company and used to generate hydroelectric energy.
The dye house runs on 100% renewable energy: 80% generated by more than 300 solar panels on the roof, and the remaining 20% sourced from green hydro and wind energy. A heat recovery system further reduces energy consumption during the dyeing process by 15%.
Eyand dye baths / solar panels on the roof
Conventional dyeing
Eyand natural dyeing
All of this is not to say that conventional chemical dyeing cannot meet high standards of sustainability. There is a wide spectrum. Many manufacturers work with rigorously selected chemical inputs and have developed dyeing processes with lower water and energy use, and with wastewater treatment that prevents hazardous compounds from being released into the environment. We see natural dyes not as a rejection of chemical dyeing, but as one part of a wider approach to reducing the impact of colour.
Will the colours fade over time?
Eyand's colours are developed to meet commercial standards for colour fastness and light fastness, and the process is designed to maintain colour vibrancy over time. That said, natural dyes can be sensitive to prolonged exposure to UV light. Normal outdoor wear is not a problem, but drying garments in direct sunlight for extended periods may accelerate fading.
To keep the colours looking their best, we recommend:
These are broadly the same care principles that will maintain the quality of any garment, and following them will help extend both the colour and the life of the piece.
Natural colour sources — Eyand dye ingredients
Is natural dye vegan?
Not all natural dyes are vegan. Some colours and ingredients can come from animal origins such as insects. The Kuyichi collection was dyed with Eyand's Earth range, which is mineral-based, so the dye pigments themselves contain no animal-derived components.
However, the mordant used in the process is made from crustacean shells, recovered as a by-product from industries such as food processing. Because of this, the Earth range cannot be considered fully vegan.
Natural textile — mineral-based pigments contain no animal components
Why don't we use natural dyes across the full collection?
While Eyand's natural dyeing process has a lower environmental impact than many conventional alternatives, there are genuine reasons why we don't use it across our entire range.
Natural dyes cannot achieve every colour. Certain bright or saturated shades simply aren't possible with minerals and plants, so the available palette is more limited than conventional dyes can produce.
Colour consistency is also more variable. Because natural dyes come from organic materials that change between harvests or batches, there is inherent variation in the final colour. A batch of pomegranate peel from one season may produce slightly different yellows than the next. This gives naturally dyed garments their own character, but it also means less uniformity than conventional dyeing.
Not all manufacturers can work with natural dyes. The knowledge, equipment, and processes required (including achieving proper colour fastness, low water and energy use, and consistent quality) are specialised skills that producers like Eyand have spent years developing. We work only with partners who have genuinely mastered this.
And finally: chemical dyes are not automatically a worse choice. This depends on how they are used and controlled.
"Natural dyes cannot achieve every colour. Certain bright or saturated shades simply aren't possible with minerals and plants, so the available palette is more limited than conventional dyes can produce."
How does Kuyichi manage chemical dyeing?
When chemical dyes are used in Kuyichi garments, we hold our suppliers to standards that go beyond what the law requires. We control which substances are allowed in the production process itself, not just what ends up in the finished garment. This means hazardous chemicals are banned at the source, so they can't end up on your skin, in the wastewater, or in the environment.
Every Kuyichi product must meet our Restricted Substances List (RSL), which sets limits on chemical residues that can remain in the finished garment, based on EU REACH regulations, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, and (for GOTS certified products) the stricter chemical limits of GOTS certification.
All dyeing facilities in our supply chain are required to have wastewater treatment systems in place, meeting the discharge standards of ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals), an international framework for eliminating harmful substances from textile production. For our denim specifically, we use techniques such as pre-reduced indigo and aniline-free dyeing, which reduce water use and result in cleaner effluent. Most of our denim and tops are GOTS or GRS certified, standards with chemical requirements that meet or even exceed our own.
We see colour as part of a wider system designed around lower impact, which includes working with a partner like Eyand on natural dyes, and applying strict chemical standards to conventional processes.
Shop the collection
Discover the pieces dyed with Eyand's natural dyes.
Our approach to colour
Colour as part of a wider system for lower impact