Indigo

"Water Woman" Imakhu Mwt Shekemet's personally developed clothing, products, and specially selected
items with the African Water theme to bring more flow, peace, and power to your daily life. Enjoy!

Indigo fabric is one of the most popular
fabrics from Africa. Symbolic of wealth and
prosperity, this fabric is admired by almost
every ethnic group on the continent. Even the
Taureg have been called the "Blue Men of the
Desert " because of their extensive use of
this cloth.

In the United States, Indigo fabric is
associated with the Gullah people of South
Carolina (Imakhu's Ancestral heritage.) The
cotton fabric is first hand-woven on looms
and then dyed using leaves from the indigo
plant that have been beaten into a pulp,
rolled into balls, and then left to dry in the sun
for two to three days. After this, they are mixed
in an ash and water solution that acts as a
fixitive for the indigo dye. The fabric is dyed
using the tie-dye or plain-print method, and
the excess dye is removed by hammering the
fabric with rubber mallets. Indigo dye often
rubs off onto the skin ( as with the Tuaregs),
so do not be surprised if this happens when
you handle the fabric. 6'x45". Made in Mali.
Price: $55