Colour is not just colour. It’s chemistry, politics, survival.

My exploration of botanical colour began with oak gall ink, which I discovered while living and working in an ancient oak woodland in West Wales. I developed my own methods of making and using it, opening up a wider investigation into the colours that plants can offer. This work continues through my practice with botanical inks and natural dyes.

The fashion industry runs on petrochemical dyes - cheap, uniform, toxic. They pollute rivers and expose workers to hazardous chemicals. Polyester, the most widely used textile fibre, is made from petrochemicals, and there are no safe dyes for polyester, as Alden Wicker discusses in her book To Dye For. Even ‘organic’ fabrics are often dyed with industrial chemicals. Most people don’t question it.

I tested alternatives - so-called ‘non-toxic’ synthetic dyes using GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified chemical processes. The results were flat, similar to conventional synthetic dyes, and they didn’t sit right with me. The colours looked lifeless on the fabric. The industry’s version of ‘clean’ still felt compromised. This isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about integrity.

I've questioned natural dyes - their viability, durability, cost and sustainability. So I went deeper. Natural dyes are not a trend, not nostalgia. They are radical. They breathe, shift and evolve. The colours hold a depth synthetics can't replicate. Wear them, and you feel the difference.

Dyeing naturally is not speedy. It’s not easy. It requires an entirely different mindset - one that respects material, process and time. There are no shortcuts. Each garment carries a predominant colour, but natural dyes can reveal a spectrum within a single plant, creating depth and luminosity in the fabric. Subtle variations and irregularities are inherent to the process - reminders of the plants and processes behind the colour.

SARAH POLAND uses colour from organically and regeneratively grown plants, locally foraged materials and GOTS-certified organic plant dye extracts. These different sources of botanical colour are used across the art practice and clothing collections. Fabrics are carefully sourced, with responsibility and ethics at the heart of every decision.

Natural colours harmonise effortlessly, and with careful washing, they soften and fade, adding a unique charm to the cloth. Once you adjust your eye away from hard chemical colours, plant dyes become easier to spot. They have their own sort of inherent sparkle.

Images above show from left to right: woad seedlings and woad harvest (blues) and cloth dyed with indigo extract.

The Process - Growing and Foraging for Colour

I source my dyes from plants - organically grown, regeneratively cultivated, or responsibly foraged. Woad seedlings yield blues; madder plants provide pinks, oranges, and reds; weld offers citrus yellows. Akin to an artist, I broaden the colour palette by mixing pigments together. Each plant imparts its own character, its own story.

In my West Wales studio, I oversee every step, from selecting fabrics to developing the colours and dyeing processes. I work with skilled makers and visit their studios to ensure every detail meets my standards. I carefully select certified materials and colours, combining traditional methods with innovation to create clothing that is ethical, sustainable and non-toxic to the wearer and environment.

I've been harvesting dye plants since 2010. Since moving to my plot of land in West Wales in 2017, I've planted a regenerative edible forest and developed a regeneratively grown dye garden. The garden continues to evolve as I grow and experiment with plants for colour. Regenerative growing is about giving back more than you take out. By building healthy soil, increasing biodiversity and working with natural cycles, the aim is to leave the land richer and more resilient over time.

Above, from left to right: Madder plants (pinks, oranges and reds), Fabric soaked and ready to dye, Madder root dye bath.

Beyond Aesthetics

For me, natural dyeing is about more than colour. It's about questioning how clothing is made, where materials come from, and what their production costs Above, from left to right: Madder plants (pinks, oranges and reds), Fabric soaked and ready to dye, Madder root dye bath.people and the environment. It's about finding a different way to make clothing, with greater responsibility for the materials and processes involved.

From left to right: Weld seedlings and harvested weld plants (citrus yellow), weld dyed cloth.

The Toxic Truth About Your Clothes

I read Alden Wicker’s book, To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion Is Making Us Sick - And How We Can Fight Back. It's an essential and deeply unsettling read about the chemicals used in clothing, the risks they can pose, and the lack of transparency surrounding textile production.

Wicker investigates the hidden costs of synthetic dyes and the fossil-fuel-based fashion industry, examining what we know about chemical exposure, what remains poorly regulated, and what needs to change.

If you want to understand why natural dyes matter - not just aesthetically, but for health and survival — this book lays bare the wider issues behind the clothes we wear.

Alden Wicker

Image from left to right: tansy (yellow), a stack of natural dyed fabrics in the studio, peach leaf dyed canvas.

Ready to Wear the Difference?

Explore the online collection, or visit me on Instagram @sarahpolandstudio to see more of my work and enquire about pieces not listed on the website.