A worker shovels a pile of fermenting indigo leaves
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00These threads are being dyed with natural indigo.
00:05While this used to be the only way you could dye clothes this color,
00:09it's becoming a rarer and rarer sight.
00:12The invention of synthetic indigo meant the natural stuff was nearly bleached from existence.
00:18Within a couple of decades, global production of the plant-based dye had dropped 90%.
00:24The multibillion-dollar fashion industry of today relies on cheap synthetic indigo made with toxic chemicals,
00:31which can pollute waterways and threaten animal and human health.
00:36Now, some people are looking to increase production of natural indigo as a more sustainable option
00:42and a way to keep the art form alive.
00:45But natural indigo has its own environmental costs.
00:49So which version will permanently dye the fashion industry?
00:53And can the art of natural indigo dyeing stand the test of time?
01:00For centuries, natural indigo was a lucrative industry in Japan's Tokushima Prefecture.
01:06Originally reserved for the upper class, the dye eventually became so widespread it was dubbed Japan Blue.
01:14But once synthetic alternatives came on the scene in 1897,
01:19it only took a couple decades to wipe natural indigo almost completely off the map.
01:26Kento Watanabe is one of a handful of producers still growing and dyeing with the plant today.
01:34It's more like a life's work than a job.
01:43It's part of my life.
01:46Watanabe's indigo dye is called tsukumo, a product unique to this area of Japan.
01:53Unlike most fabric dyes, indigo is not soluble in water.
01:58So producers must first process the leaves into something that can dissolve before they can use it to dye clothes.
02:05Natural materials like cotton, linen, or wood absorb dye best.
02:14But Kenta has been known to get creative.
02:28He says dyeing should be done slowly and in layers.
02:59Most of the world separates the indigo pigment from the plant, forming a powder or compressed puck.
03:06But tsukumo uses whole leaves.
03:10Fermentation is necessary to change the water-insoluble indigo molecule into its water-soluble form, leucoindigo.
03:18In this form, the dye can penetrate fabric.
03:21But once it's exposed to oxygen, it reverts back to indigo, making the color permanent.
03:26Late in the year, when the temperature cools down, Kenta and his team spread out bags of dried indigo on a dirt floor and pile them up.
03:35They sprinkled a pile with water, a necessary ingredient to fuel fermentation.
03:41The dye is then mixed with water to form the dye.
03:44The dye is then mixed with water to form the dye.
03:47The dye is then mixed with water to form the dye.
03:50The dye is then mixed with water to form the dye.
03:53The dye is then mixed with water to form the dye.
04:00Fermentation is necessary in most methods of natural indigo production and usually takes three to four days.
04:08This pile of wet leaves will ferment for 120.
04:13Once a week, the team shakes things up.
04:16If the bacteria are alive and well, the pile should be wet, hot, and smelly.
04:23After four months, Kenta bags the leaves and lets them rest for six months as they undergo another round of fermentation.
04:33After four months, Kenta bags the leaves and lets them rest for six months as they undergo another round of fermentation.
04:42The amount of fermentation time is a balancing act.
04:54Composting them this way results in a dye vat like this one
04:59Composting them this way results in a dye vat like this one
05:03that can be used much longer than ones made with quick fermentation methods.
05:08As long as it's properly cared for.
05:12A vat of sukumo dye is a living thing.
05:15The bacteria inside aid fermentation and consume oxygen in the dye solution,
05:21keeping the yellow luko indigo from turning blue before the time is right.
05:27Part of Shinya's job is teaching customers how to raise a vat.
05:42Shinya constantly has to check that the vat has everything it needs.
05:51Every morning, he samples each vat and logs its progress.
06:22The first step to raising an indigo dye vat is creating the perfect home for fermentation.
06:28Do you know what this is? Can you guess?
06:40Is this some kind of ash?
06:44Yes, it's wood ash.
06:50Wood ash is mixed with water.
06:53When the ash settles, it leaves behind highly alkaline liquid.
06:58It's a type of bacteria that can't survive without a strong alkaline environment.
07:04So this is their home.
07:08They also need food. Wheat bran, in this case.
07:12Seashell ash acts as a supplement, providing minerals and more alkalinity to the solution.
07:19In the first two months, the dye turns dark brown.
07:27Then it slowly turns light brown.
07:35Kenta and his employees work overtime to keep Watanabe's running in a shrunken industry.
07:42Tokushima Prefecture, where Kamita is located, grows 70% of Japan's natural indigo.
07:49But that's only about 42 acres of indigo fields in total.
07:53At the industry's peak in the early 1900s, Tokushima was home to 37,000 acres.
08:01The decline was all thanks to synthetic indigo.
08:05Natural and synthetic indigo molecules are identical.
08:10And it's the only molecule that produces the specific blue hue genes are known for.
08:17It's hot today, so I'm not wearing anything, but I'm making my own denim.
08:22Synthetic indigo replaced natural indigo for a simple reason.
08:27It's cheap.
08:29Synthetic indigo costs around $3 per pound.
08:33Natural indigo runs about $54 per pound.
08:37Part of that price gap has to do with supply.
08:41Manufacturing the world's denim consumes about 55,000 tons of synthetic indigo annually.
08:48Compare that to natural indigo.
08:51Only a few hundred tons are produced each year.
08:54Watanabe sells its largest dye kit for over $1,000.
08:59It comes with almost eight pounds of sukumo, plus all the ingredients for a healthy dye and a 20-gallon plastic vat.
09:11On top of costing more, natural dye is often less potent.
09:17But the synthetic version has its downsides, too.
09:21Preparing synthetic indigo for dyeing requires a slew of toxic chemicals,
09:26like aniline, formaldehyde, and hydrogen cyanide.
09:30These chemicals pose a health risk to textile workers and pollute the water used in the dyeing process.
09:36According to a 2023 study, each year about 1.84 billion tons of wastewater from the textile industry are disposed of without proper treatment.
09:48Watanabe's pours its wastewater back into its fields to fertilize the next crop.
09:54And Kento says his solution is safe to stick your hands into.
09:59But scaling up natural indigo production could prove difficult.
10:03As much as 10 million acres of land would be needed to produce enough natural indigo to serve the fashion industry, according to some estimates.
10:12To put that number into perspective, that's about the same amount of land dedicated to growing cotton in the U.S.
10:20Some experts are skeptical growing that much indigo is even possible.
10:25Watanabe says it's not possible.
10:27Some experts are skeptical growing that much indigo is even possible.
10:32Watanabe's works with two and a half acres.
10:38In March, Kento sows the seeds from last year's harvest.
10:42He transplants the seedlings to the fields by May.
10:45Between May and July, workers maintain the crop, weeding by hand, machine, and goat.
10:58Kento founded Watanabe's in 2018.
11:02Before that, he studied for three years with a local indigo master.
11:28There are only a handful of sukumo masters in Tokushima today.
11:40There are only a handful of sukumo masters in Tokushima today.
11:57For Kento, innovation is a necessary part of keeping the tradition of sukumo alive.
12:08For Kento, innovation is a necessary part of keeping the tradition of sukumo alive.
12:16He hopes to eventually increase his farm to seven and a half acres.
12:28I try to do this every year.
12:34Sorting and drying the leaves is one area where Kento is trying to improve efficiency.
12:39When working by hand, workers must separate the stems from the leaves,
12:44since the leaves are the only part of the plant that contains the dye compound.
12:57I'm drying the stems together with the leaves.
13:01After drying, I separate the stems from the leaves,
13:05just like you saw in the video.
13:10Trying out new machines like this is part of Kento's effort
13:14to reduce the amount of labor needed in the hopes of scaling production.
13:17The way we grow and produce Sukumo is not realistic anymore.
13:23The way we grow and produce Sukumo is not realistic anymore.
13:27The way we grow and produce Sukumo is not realistic anymore.
13:31So we're slowly getting there.
13:35But we're also slowly getting smaller and smaller.
13:42After a year of careful production, the sukumo is ready to be used.
13:48Because it's made from natural ingredients,
13:51this dye will have impurities and inconsistencies that synthetic dyes don't.
13:56Most see that as a feature.
14:11Colors also vary from that to that.
14:17We use a light color for the color of the sukumo.
14:21But if you want a lighter color,
14:24you can't get a light, clean color with a young sukumo.
14:28So you have to use the sukumo of a veteran grandpa.
14:31We manage the sukumo.
14:35We're animals.
14:38We can manage the sukumo for a longer period of time.
14:43What do you do when you dye a young sukumo?
14:47It's colder than I thought.
14:50It's about 25 degrees now.
14:56You can't make it too warm.
15:00Since each vat is a living ecosystem,
15:03Shinya says it's necessary to avoid overworking the dye.
15:07It's interesting.
15:10If you overwork it when it's young,
15:13it will age quickly.
15:19If you don't overwork it,
15:22for example, if you make it but don't dye it much,
15:25it will turn into a raw sukumo.
15:28Just a little dye will change the color.
15:31It's the same as humans.
15:34It's a little strict.
15:36But if you don't overwork it,
15:39it will turn into a beautiful color for a long time.
15:47Vats are productive for about eight months.
15:53After a month or two,
15:57the age of the vats will decrease,
16:00just like the age of humans.
16:04It will become thinner.
16:07Kenta's goal for the future of his workshop
16:10isn't to replace synthetic indigo in the fashion industry,
16:13but to teach as many people as possible
16:16about the art of sukumo.
16:19I want to take sukumo and other materials
16:22and go on a world tour.
16:25I want to experience
16:28riding a car around the station
16:30and riding a bicycle.
16:35Hosting workshops at places like the Grand Front Osaka Mall
16:39exposes the art to people who may not learn about sukumo otherwise.
16:44It's still uncertain whether scaling up natural indigo production
16:48could solve the fashion industry's issues with denim.
16:51But Kenta believes sukumo is worth saving regardless.
16:56I want to expand the field of love
17:01and convey the beauty of color.
17:06I want to continue this wonderful culture
17:09for a long time in the future.
17:13That's all I'm thinking about.
17:25www.sukumo.com