Shibori includes a form of tie-dye that originated in Japan. It has been practiced there since at least the eighth century. Shibori includes a number of labor-intensive resist techniques including stitching elaborate patterns and tightly gathering the stitching before dyeing, forming intricate designs for kimonos. Another shibori method is to wrap the fabric around a core of rope, wood or other material, and bind it tightly with string or thread. The areas of the fabric that are against the core or under the binding would remain undyed.
Tie-dye techniques have also been used for centuries[citation needed] in the Hausa region of West Africa, with renowned indigo dye pits located in and around Nigeria. The tie-dyed clothing is then richly embroidered in traditional patterns. It has been argued that the Hausa techniques were the inspiration for the hippie fashion[citation needed].
Plangi and tritik are Indonesian words, derived from javanese words, for methods related to tie-dye, and bandhna is a term from India, giving rise to the Bandhani fabrics of Rajasthan. Ikat is a method of tie-dyeing the warp or weft before the cloth is woven.
Tie-Dye Comes to America
In the 1960s, tie-dye was brought to America through the hippie movement, a youth movement that advocated the sexual revolution, psychedelic rock and protested the Vietnam War. Hippies wanted a way to escape from the strict social norm of the 50s, and tie-dye was just one way of expressing their free-spirited nature. Before tie-dye became popular, Rit Dye was struggling. Don Price, a marketer for Hellmann's Mayonnaise, began a marketing campaign for the dye in Greenwich Village, where many hippies lived. He went door to door, looking for artists who would use Rit for tie-dyeing. Then came Will and Eileen