Our Mineral range is dyed with prehistoric minerals, rocks and volcanic soil

As we continue to look for new, low impact ways to dye clothing, we’ve turned to the colouring tools of early man – minerals, rocks, and soils. Garment dyeing clothing in minerals only requires heat, time and pressure to get the colour to stick, and only creates two by-products – water and sediment.

If you think of volcanic soil, you might think of the debris caused by lava spewing out of a volcano, the aftermath of Pompei, or the dystopian sets of sci-fi movies. But volcanic soils were also generated by geological transformations that took place on Earth up to 3.8 billion years ago, when thermal changes to the planet’s crust created carbonaceous rocks and sediments. A mixture of carbon and amorphous carbon crystals, volcanic soil is formed when heat and pressure is applied to carbonised matter. We dye sweatpants, sweatshirts and t shirts with it.

In 2011 a 73,000 year old abstract sketch was discovered in a cave in South Africa. It was made using an ochre crayon and is considered the first known drawing in human history. Thousands of years later Ancient Egyptians used yellow ochre to symbolise perfection, indestructibility and eternal life. Today we use it to colour chillout gear.

Hematite is a mineral with an amazing history. It was first used by prehistoric humans to paint cave walls 164,000 years ago. Ancient Egyptians turned to it to heal wounds. And Leonardo da Vinci painted his masterpieces with it. But its origins go back even further. 3.5 billion years ago, gram-negative bacteria called cyanobacteria released free oxygen into the ocean. This combined with iron to make hematite, which sank to the seabed to form rocks. Today we use it to dye t shirts and polos.

Celadonite is a blue-green mineral that can vary in colour from sea green, to bright turquoise, to apple green. Made up of a mix of hydrated iron, magnesium, and potassium as well as various trace elements, it forms in deep marine environments when seawater interacts with lava. We now use it to dye this polo shirt, as well as t shirts and sweatshirts.