Tie-Dye Gets Its Groove Back

NEWS | June 16, 2020

This summer, designers are reimagining Tie-Dye. A throwback to the hippie movement of the 70s, this dyeing process is totally DIY-friendly, making it the perfect craft (and wardrobe update) for lockdown.

From Jacquemus to Martine Rose via Off-White, Palm Angels, Tibi and even Versace, summer 2020 is looking psychedelic — an aesthetic that's returned with a force to this season's catwalks. Tie-dye is a singular method of coloring textiles: it literally dyes by tying. All you need to do is tie knots in the fabric and dip it in dye. The outcome: dreamy, highly pigmented patterns and spirals.

It's one of the most recognizable motifs of the hippie movement in the US in the 60s and 70s: the era of Flower Power, peace and love, and Vietnam War protests. It was also a period distinguished by a return to nature and love for the planet. An American counter-cultural magazine, The Whole Earth Catalog outlined loads of do-it-yourself techniques and brought people back to eco-friendly tools and resources. Using plant dyes for home-made or second-hand garments was highly encouraged.

This summer, fashion designers are revisiting the technique, with concentric circles (Versace), groovy splashes (MISBHV), sharp patterns (Palm Angels), and dreamlike abstractions (Off-White), or using the colorful background for superposed text, like Antidote's "Boys Do Cry," or erotic drawings at Carne Bollente. In the spirit of hippie culture, some have decided to take matters into their own hands: the DIY craft is making a comeback. In the "Designer DIY" column in the New York Times, Simone Rocha shares tips for personalizing a pair of socks with tie-dye. Plus, the web is brimming with detailed tutorials for creating exactly the trippy look you're after, all while breathing new life into your outfits.