Patagonia

Indigo dye is often used for dyeing cotton denim through multiple dye baths to deepen the indigo shade.

Indigo dye was historically extracted from the leaves of the Indigofera tinctoria, a species of plant that produces a colorless compound that is soluble in water. The compound turns blue when fermented and exposed to air. Today, most indigo used in the clothing industry is synthetic.

We use both natural and synthetic indigo dye on our products.
Synthetic indigo dye is chemically identical to the compound extracted from its plant predecessor. It is predominantly used for dyeing cotton denims. The dyeing process requires multiple dye baths in which the material is dipped, removed from the bath to oxidize (turning from greenish to blue) and then dipped again to deepen the indigo shade.

We are exploring opportunities to work with partners in the supply chain to grow non-synthetic organic indigo. Eventually, our goal is for this crop to become Regenerative Organic Certified™. We also continue to investigate alternatives for indigo, both natural and synthetic, that have less of an ecological footprint.