“There is modern-day slavery in the fashion industry, and it is moving towards a more sustainable model.” “People are becoming aware of the real cost of their clothing, the cheap labor and toxic chemicals involved,” she told the crowd. She envisions an “indigo culture” where a community of organic farmers, manufacturers, artists and consumers would support a local industry that provides fair trade and humane practices.įifty shades of blue: The dye from Ossabaw Island's heritage indigo plants yields a 'bright and vibrant' shade that's different from other types. Hardy recently spoke at the Ossabaw Island Foundation’s annual meeting and West’s 102nd birthday about how the island’s heritage plant could serve as the foundation for a unique economic development plan. “The color of Ossabaw indigo is bright and vibrant, different than other types of indigo.” “What came out was a stunning, stunning, blue,” describes Hardy.
(Slaves would have used burnt oyster shells or their own urine.) Hardy led participants through the dye-making process, which turns fingernails a telltale shade and requires a reactive agent such as lime or another alkaline substance. Dubose also invited Hardy to the island to demonstrate how the funny little shrubs can produce their beautiful shade.Ībout a dozen textile enthusiasts, many of them members of the Fiber Guild of Savannah, attended an all-day workshop on Ossabaw last October organized by program coordinator Robin Wright Gunn. When Hardy discovered a passing reference online to Ossabaw indigo in 2014, she “almost had a heart attack.” She immediately contacted Ossabaw Island Foundation executive director Elizabeth Dubose, who happily provided a packet of seeds. Somehow, seeds from indigo grown on those pre-Revolutionary plantations had sown through the centuries, and the island’s secluded location helped the genome evolve into its own distinct lineage. The island has been left undeveloped ever since, its flora and fauna allowed to thrive. In the meantime, acres of indigo were growing wild on Ossabaw Island, the nature preserve and artist retreat created when forward-thinking heiress Sandy West struck an agreement with the state of Georgia in 1978. “I grew the first crop on John’s Island on a goat farm,” she recalls, adding with a laugh that “goat manure makes an excellent fertilizer.” It was thought that any strains of plantation indigo grown in the Southeast had long died out, and when Hardy decided to try growing indigo herself, she sourced the seeds from Mexico.įiber artist Donna Hardy is working to create a sustainable "indigo culture" in the Lowcountry. The Georgia native began studying the history of the natural pigments used in the Lowcountry, noting the integral use of enslaved people. Hardy inherited an interest in natural dyes from her mother and studied under the tutelage of dye masters Michel Garcia and Kathy Hattori.
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In the mid-1700s, an enterprising young woman named Eliza Lucas Pinckney figured out how to grow massive amounts for export, employing hundreds of slaves on three South Carolina plantations to plant and process the crops. As the first American colonies became established, indigo became second only to rice as the New World’s most profitable cash crop before the American Revolution. Your blue jeans were probably dyed with synthetic indigo, but Levi Strauss used the real deal when he sewed his first pair of riveted dungarees.Įarly Colonial settlers established plantations for it in the Caribbean, hoping to cash in on the worldwide demand for blue dye. Certain types of indigo have been cultivated by humans for over 4000 years, from ancient Aztec shamans to Egyptian pharaohs to European merchants in the Middle Ages. “And it’s a big part of the heritage of the Lowcountry.”Ī genus of flowering plant with over 750 species, indigofera grows in tropical and subtropical regions across the globe. “There is so much mystery and myth surrounding it, it crosses all cultures,” says Hardy, resplendent in a hand-stitched, organic cotton jersey dress the shade of the evening sky two minutes past twilight. Her passion for indigo stems not only for the beautiful blue hue it yields, but for its historical value. The owner of Sea Island Indigo processes and produces her own rich dye, sourced from a crop of organically-grown indigo plants grown on her farm near Charleston, SC. The monochromatic state of her wardrobe reflects more than just a color preference. Blue fingertips are the telltale sign that these hands have been part of the indigo dyeing process.įIBER ARTIST Donna Hardy is easy to spot: She's usually the one wearing bright blue.
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