In October 2021, we visited Colorfolks, our friends in Quebec City.
For the color lover that I am, there is no activity more exciting than visiting a dyer’s house. I was on site with Adriana, Montloup’s first official employee and photographer. Together we met the two lovely human beings behind the project, Marie-Pier Briand and Daniela Velasco.
Founded in 2020, Colorfolks is a dyer’s house based in the Quebec region. They offer a selection of naturally dyed textile products (scrunchies, t-shirts, bandanas…) as well as a custom dye service.
Photo : Adriana Castillo
Behind this inspiring company lies two passionate and captivating entrepreneurs.
Following an important event, Marie-Pier’s life took a 180 turn. Everything indicated that her path had to lead to a plant-based lifestyle and natural dyes.
After many international classes led by Grand Masters she wishes, alongside Daniela, to shed her very own light on the local natural dyes’ scene. Hence, Colorfolks slowly came to life.
Daniela’s training as a chemical analyst has allowed them to undergo their own experiments, based on past teachings.
Daniela and Marie-Pier, Photo : Adriana Castillo
After many interactions, the idea of a Montloup X Colorfolks collaboration was born.
Natural dyes have been a part of my life as a personal hobby for many years. In fact many of my friends have worked in the industry, and I myself have some technical experience, acquired alongside Julie Andrée from Infuse, and Miriam Ronchon from Habi Habi.
Dying fabric is a historical practice that transcends the worlds cultures. Therefore, technics are plentiful and vary according to the environment and culture at hand. The availability of coloring matter (leaves, plants, roots…) plays an important role. Prior to globalisation, daily essentials such as clothing were produced according to the available resources of the land.
Once we dive into natural dyes, we’re bound to discover an infinite universe.
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Photo : Adriana Castillo
I dream of being able to offer a tiny collection of naturally dyed fabric using Colorfolks’ methods, which is why I contacted Marie-Pier in the first place. Although we aren’t quite there yet, in the meantime, it is my pleasure to share the recipe we experimented with in their lab, using onion skins.
Beyond this uplifting experience, this project bears the fruit of many allied local businesses.
The t-shirts were given to us by Alexandre from Mercerie Roger: They were conceived with American organic cotton, knitted by Montloup. The shirts were sewn here in Quebec, and the onion skins were offered to us by Le Café des Habitudes, located in Montreal. They work very hard on reducing their carbon footprint, and the skins are food waste from their domestic soup production.
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Photo : Adriana Castillo
Caution, this recipe is destined for personal use only and is unrelated to Colorfolks' dyeing methods. No mordant was used on the fabric, therefore the color will change with time, through light exposure and laundry.
*You will need:
A large pot (preferably aluminium)
A wooden spoon
A clean white or beige t-shirt
150g of onion skins (use 1 part onion for 1 part of fabric ratio)
4L of water
An old sock or panty hose
Recipe:
Insert the onion skins into the sock or panty hose (creating a pouch)
Boil the skins in the water and let them sit for about an hour
Remove the pouch and filter the liquid. Soak the t-shirt (make sure it is wet beforehand)
Let it soak for at least an hour or as long as it takes to obtain the desired color
Remove the t-shirt, rinse it with clear water by altering the temperatures from hot to average to cold and back to hot.
Strain it and lay it flat to dry.
The tub of water can be drained into the piping or directly into the earth.
Compost the onion skins.
This workshop is not open to the public at the moment. Stay tuned on Colorfolks social media accounts to know the upcoming launch date. In the meantime, here are a few sneak-peeks of their workspace!
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Photo : Adriana Castillo
Daniela, Marie-Pier, Adriana, Lila
