TOTE BAG · NETTLE · MID
Naturally dyed.
Each piece is individually crafted in the studio.
Hand-dyed
Natural dyes
Manufactured individually
Hand-dyed tote bag with nettle from local harvest. The cyanotype print from additional nettle leaves is created on salvaged bed sheet fabric, cut with raw edges and sewn on as a patch.
Material & Color
- Fiber: 100% Cotton Recycled, Canvas – 220 GSM
- Mordant: Cold mordant
- Base tone: Beige / Pistachio
Printing Process – Cyanotype
- Motif: Nettle leaves, locally harvested, placed as a printing template
- Base fabric: Salvaged bed sheet, saved from destruction
- Process: Cyanotype, light-sensitive emulsion, contact exposure
- Exposure time: 15 minutes sunlight
- Fixation: Rinsing after exposure, UV post-reaction
- Processing: Cut with raw edges, sewn onto the bag as a patch
Production
- Location: Natural dyeing studio cosmaki, machwerkhaus Köln
- Dyeing date: 10.08.2026
- Method: Entirely manual dyeing and printing series
Notes
- Each piece bears an individual leaf impression, depending on leaf shape and sun position
- The raw edge of the patch is intentional; it shows the fabric's previous life
- Slight tonal changes may occur with use
- Care: For the first two washes, wash separately or with similar colors, cold or lukewarm, use gentle detergent
Why the color lasts
The Stain — why natural dyes don't wash out
A widespread misconception is that natural dyes are fleeting and will wash out after a few washes. The opposite is true if the fiber is prepared correctly.
Before the actual dyeing process, we treat each piece with a mordant, usually aluminum triformate using a cold process, sometimes other metal salts, depending on what the respective dye requires. The mordant creates binding sites in the fiber where the plant pigment firmly anchors itself, chemically, not superficially.
The result: The color is not created on the fabric, but within it. A mordanted textile changes gently over time, like good leather or washed linen, but it does not simply wash out.
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Dyeing range
Coloration in small quantities
All t-shirts are dyed in small batches or individually. The dyes act directly on the fibers, making each piece a visible result of its respective dyeing process.