MORDANT MONDAY: A Plant-Based Option For Mordanting?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected]

YOU ASKED: I’m trying to make my natural dye practice completely plant-based, which also includes my mordant. I’ve used sumac and different nuts in the fall, tea and avocado pits, but do you sell a plant-based mordant? I still want to get great color and not all plant-based “mordants” are getting me to where I want to be.

KATHY ANSWERED: We do! Symplocos is an exciting alternative that will give you the mordanting power as your base. We are happy to offer symplocos (Symplocos cochinchinensis) dried leaf powder as a plant mordant from Indonesia. The fallen leaves are rich in alum from endangered forests. As a result, we support a sustainable crop rather than felling trees for their lumber. As natural dyers, we have access to various plant-derived tannins for mordanting options. We love this one.

The Plant Mordant Project offers natural dyers a unique opportunity to make reliable colors 100% from plants. Powdered leaves from symplocos trees can replace aluminum sulfate in conventional natural dye recipes. In addition, they can produce exciting new colors. Natural dyers already choose plant dyes over synthetic dyes because they are aligned with their values. So the Plant Mordant Project offers an opportunity to extend the expression of these values by also using a plant-sourced mordant.

At its source, the Plant Mordant Project builds partnerships for sustainability with rainforest communities and indigenous textile artists in Indonesia. The Bebali Foundation alleviates rural poverty and empowers women through its sourcing and sales of Indonesia’s traditional plant-sourced dye mordant. In addition, it saves rainforests, and supports the traditional textile arts. The Bebali Foundation brings to this project a decade of experience in the fields of conservation, indigenous culture, and rural livelihoods. In addition, its partnerships with the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew and the Indonesian Forestry Department, as well as its funding from the Ford Foundation, bring world class scientific rigor and accountability.