For more than 1900 years, indigo has been a desirable deep-blue colour for fabrics worldwide. Designers like to use indigo in textiles. Consumers wear the colour indigo on a daily basis. Yet we know little about the history of indigo. When was it first discovered and how do we use it? There is much to tell on this subject.

The origin of the colour indigo

Indigo is an ancient colour, originating as a natural dye from a tropical species of plant. Indigo is thought to have originated in Asian countries, such as Japan, India and China. These countries cultivated the plant species Indigofera on a large scale, in order to extract the indigo colour. This plant was the most readily available of all.

In the 15th century, indigo made its way to Europe, brought by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. European countries welcomed the plant with open arms and demand for indigo soared. Many places around the world set up indigo plantations to ensure a continuous supply of the indigo colour.

´Until 1900, natural indigo was the only source of the colour indigo.´

Until the year 1900, natural indigo was the only source of the colour indigo. The extraction process was very expensive. During the industrial revolution, it was not possible to supply the massive quantities demanded by the clothing industry. For this reason, chemists began conducting research into a synthetic form of indigo.

From indigo to synthetic

Whereas countries once cultivated natural indigo on a massive scale, this colour is now produced worldwide in synthetic form – aniline. Aniline was created in the year 1880 by the German chemist Adolf von Baeyer. The chemical structure of indigo was published three years after its development and was put into use as a production technique in 1897. 

The development of synthetic indigo led to even greater use of the colour in textile production. In 2002, approximately 17,000 tons of indigo was produced worldwide. By 1913, natural indigo had been almost entirely replaced by synthetic indigo.

Indigo´s unique properties

The colour indigo is used in various textile applications. Popular applications include the dyeing of denim fabrics, navy blue wool and yarns for various purposes.Indigo has many unique properties. The deep blue colour does not attach itself very strongly to textile fibres. This allows the creation of distinctive effects, such as:

•  A worn look from repeated washing of the material;
•  When twisted yarns are dyed, it is noticeable that the middle layer remains uncoloured.

The colour therefore lends itself perfectly to denim and distinctive shirts.

Indigo for shirt fabrics

All in all, this deep blue colour has many distinctive properties and a long history. Would you like to receive further information on indigo fabrics for shirts? The Tootal collection includes a wide variety of indigo. Please feel free to contact our sales team!