by Jessica Kosinski
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The Origins of the Phrase “Tie-Dye”
You probably already know that the hippie counterculture of the 1960s and 70s was closely associated with bright, psychedelic colors. The phrase “tie-dye” popped up in association with the outfits hippies of the day wore, so the phrase was indeed born in the 1960s in the United States, but only the phrase. The actual practice of tie-dyeing dates back long before that.
The Ancient Origins of Tie-Dyeing Itself
Many cultures have used some form of tie-dyeing over the centuries, but one of the earliest examples known was called bandhani, which originated in South Asia in the Indus Valley Civilization around 4,000 BCE. Bandhani is a type of tie-dye textile decorated by plucking the cloth with the fingernails into many tiny bindings that form a figurative design. People in India still practice bandhani today, but it takes quite a bit of time, talent, and patience. It requires creating tiny cloth peaks and binding them with thread prior to dying. It is often used to decorate items like turbans and scarves.
Meanwhile, the East Asian technique called shibori dates to the Fourth Century in China, but it later became popular in Japan, especially among lower-class individuals. They typically used indigo dye to create shibori clothing featuring patterns created by twisting and folding the cloth before adding dye. The technique, which like many other forms of tie-dye also involved binding
the cloth, allowed lower-class citizens to express themselves through clothing without wearing silk, which was reserved for nobility at the time.
Cultural Intermingling and Tie-Dyeing Changes
Trade routes started opening up more between countries, leading to an intermingling of cultures. As a result, techniques kept within the particular regions where they originated began spreading to other areas quickly. Sometimes, certain regions created new tie-dyeing techniques that involved combinations of techniques from two or more other source locations.
A tie-dye technique used by Indigenous groups in the Americas to create gridded diamond patterns with dots in the center. These patterns can symbolize snakeskin or cornfields and are often depicted on clothing, blankets, and other decorative textiles. Murals and other visual records also show deities and religious figures wearing amarra.
Tie-Dyeing and Cultural Heritage
Often, tie-dyeing techniques have represented the cultural histories of their practitioners over the years. That was certainly the case throughout Africa, where each local community seemed to develop its own unique tie-dye techniques. Gara and Adire were two of them. African tie-dyed materials have long been used during cultural ceremonies, and certain colors or patterns can have
very specific meanings to those who understand them.
Similarly, Native Americans have long used dye in culturally significant ways.
Often, colors and patterns can be indicative of specific tribes and periods. Although not the same as the 1960s hippie tie-dyeing, we all often think the concept is still similar. Often, early Native American dyes were derived from plants and sometimes animals. Since both animals and plants were often unique to certain parts of North America, dyes were also unique by region and tribe.
U.S. Tie-Dyeing (1930s-1970s)
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Around that time, government officials sent out pamphlets recommending that people die sugar sacks and old cotton to make clothing. It was done frequently after that for years out of necessity, but then an interesting transition took place.
Even after the Great Depression ended, dying clothing remained popular in the United States. Then the 1960s came around. It was a time of flower power, free love, and experimentation. Some of it was sexual, some was substance-related, and some of it was musical. Hippies also developed their own sense of fashion, which was heavily influenced by tie-dye-wearing public figures like
musicians Janis Joplin and Jerry Garcia. Soon, hippies and tie-dyed clothes featuring many bright colors were permanently linked together in the societal lexicon.
U.S. Tie-Dyeing (1980s-Present)
1960s and 1970s tie-dyeing may have been about counterculture and making a statement against authority, but today’s tie-dyeing is different. The world of high fashion embraced tie-dyed patterns in the 1980s. Around that same period, technological advancements also allowed for more colors and dyes less likely to fade over time.
Since that time, tie-dyeing has remained popular, both with average people and clothing designers. It seems like people today are often embracing handmade goods, individual expression, and nostalgia. Tie-dyeing certainly fits in all three of those categories.
Getting Your Tie-Dye Fix
If you want to get your tie-dye fix today, you have more options than ever before. One option is to make your own, which I’ve done myself on many trips to Daytona Beach, Florida with my family in the past. Creating tie-dyed t-shirts is still a popular activity in beach areas, especially. You can also find pre-made items featuring tie-dyed patterns everywhere. They are available to buy from individual artisans, top designers, and even big box stores like Target, and they aren’t restricted to clothing. You can also find tie-dyed blankets, stuffed animals, purses, and more. The choice is yours, so make or buy some tie-dye today if you want a colorful way to express yourself.
The Grateful Dead
Few bands have made a look their own as thoroughly as the Grateful Dead and tie-dye. Granted, the Dead didn’t invent tie-dye – the technique originated in India thousands of years ago. But the band’s embrace of the party-hued look and the freewheeling lifestyle it represented in the 1960s certainly contributed to the popularity of the American style of tie-dye with its bold striations of bright color. Tie-dye has become a visual reference point for Deadheads, along with other symbols like skeletons and skulls, dancing bears, and box logos. – TheFacts
Jessica Kosinski has been a freelance researcher and writer since 2001. She developed a passion for pre-1990s television and films as a child and she has never grown out of it. Recently, she turned that passion into a retro TV and film blog. Follow along with her at https://medium.com/@jkos_writing, as she dives deep into the characters, actors, quirks, and trivia that brought us some of the greatest films and shows in TV history and also discusses some of the more obscure films and shows most of us may have forgotten.
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