Indigo was once so vital to the state people called it “blue gold.” As interest in the dye reignites, historic sites are shining a light on its past.

Researchers have uncovered the earliest known use of indigo dye, discovered in an unusually well-preserved 6,000-year-old Andean cotton fabric from Peru, predating indigo use in Egypt by 1500 years.

When the outcome of a craft project is a surprise, it’s often not a good surprise. My recent experience trying indigo dyeing in Tokyo was an exception to that rule.

The planter urges not only that the vegetable dye is more durable, but that it contains an impurity, "indigo red," which, if present to a small extent only, renders the indigo more valuable for ...

Indigo dyeing is believed to have originated in the countries where it is endemic. Japan, for example, used it as a pigment for dye and tattoos and for their iconic shibori.

He uses indigo dye extensively in his designs -- see his Etsy page-- and teaches workshops in the processing and dyeing techniques that bring out the vibrant semi-tones between blue and violet.

When the outcome of a craft project is a surprise, it's often not a good surprise. My recent experience trying indigo dyeing in Tokyo was an exception to that rule.

Indigo dye's beautiful color is shrouded by an ugly history. In the mid-1700s, wealthy South Carolina planters called it "blue gold," a labor-intensive cash crop produced by the sweat of enslaved ...

Indigo powder is a natural hair dye with a long history of use, but it can cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Those with dry, flaky scalps should avoid it, as it may worsen their ...

Natural indigo dye has been used worldwide for thousands of years, but the invention of synthetic indigo dye in the 1800s caused the industry to crater. In Japan's Tokushima Prefecture, ...

Producing indigo dye is a bit like making beer, she explained, as we piled into her indigo Subaru. The leaves are steeped and fermented in water but that doesn’t produce the breathtaking color.