It is said that the history of dyeing fabric is as old as the history of cloth manufacturing itself. Tie-and-dye, as the technique came to be known in the modern age, dates back to ancient times and is said to have been used by Peruvians as far back as the 5th century AD.

In the subcontinent, the technique is quite common and Pakistani women often have their dupattas, shalwar qameez or suits dyed in the colours of their own choosing.

The garrison city has a tradition of tie-and-dye that dates back decades. In the city, old bazaars such as Purana Qilla, Chan Bazaar, Moti Bazaar, Bhabhra Bazaar and Kartarpura have several shops where one can see colorful dupattas and clothes hanging outside and workers dyeing cloth over steaming and bubbling cauldrons of colourful dye.

“We have more than a hundred designs for dupattas – it’s an art and you need a creative mind to learn this skill,” Sheikh Mohammad Shahbaz – the owner of a dyeing shop in Chan Bazaar, told Dawn.

Shahbaz says that achieving perfection in matching different colours is something heavily dependent on the individual worker’s attention to details and creativity. “Sometimes, just a bit of stray dye can ruin your whole colour scheme and we are the ones answerable to the customer,” he added.

Allah Ditta, who works as a dyer in Purana Qilla, explains this creative process. “We play with colours, we start with a handful of colour choices and mix them in different proportions to make just the right shade. It’s not an exact science, but this skill can be learned over time.”

Allah Ditta has been a dyer for more than ten years and doesn’t feel that the profession has changed much. “New designs are requested by costumers and we try our best to satisfy their demands, but apart from that, the art of tie-and-dye is the same as it was 50 years ago,” he says.

Dupattas are the most common type of cloth that is dyed. It is essential that it match the colour or design of the shalwar qameez or kurta it is supposed to complement. Fabric pigment is the most common form of dye used in this process.

“You need to know what the ideal temperature is to dye a soft piece of cloth, which colours should be mixed together to make a new colour, and so on,” Ibrar Ahmed, a young worker from a tie-and-dye shop in Purana Qilla, told Dawn.

“Although it has never happened to me in my eight years in this business, but if a worker makes even a small mistake, they have to pay the price,” he added.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2015

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