Jackie Andrews-Udall - Sustainable Fashion Strategies, Founder of The Dyers' Circle & Lecturer in Sustainable Colour and Textiles at UAL.

As in many countries across South East Asia, natural dyes were used prolifically in Myanmar until recently, to colour a diverse range of locally cultivated fibres, from hemp and nettle, to silk and organic homespun cotton. The length and geographical diversity of landscapes in Myanmar, from mountain to sea, culminates in a wide variety of traditional costumes with their own distinctive colour palettes, worn by the differing tribal groups: Karen, Kayah, Shan, Chin and Haka, where traditional indigenous clothing is worn both by men and women.

However, as in many rural regions across the globe, a pattern of loss of customary clothing within the younger generation means traditional textiles are now reserved mainly for formal occasions such as weddings and funerals. Whereas natural dyeing used to be a strong socio-economic driver in rural villages, the lack of commercial demand nowadays has led to a severe loss of empirical intergenerational knowledge. As the older generations disappear, there is now a risk this heritage of plant-based colour culture may be lost forever with them.

Recent research conducted by the department of botany, University of Kalay in Myanmar and academics from Chiang Mai in Thailand confirms it is important to record and preserve this ethno-botanical knowledge presently, before it completely disintegrates. Their study affirmed there is little practise of natural dyeing due to a lack of local demand and very few dyers still know to produce the traditional blacks and reds. However, in the past, dye craft was not only a valuable source of income for tribal communities but also a key element of bio-diversity knowledge and conservation. It is therefore crucial to support whatever intergenerational know-how that remains through the study of each plant utilised and the parts used for colour extraction.

Contrary to much European practise, it is the leaves that predominate in the making of colour in Myanmar. Flowers only seem to represent 2% of plant parts used and as a consequence, there are few yellows obtained, in contrast to European practise which is rich in flavonoids. Leaves are the most common parts used in Myanmar and the favoured plant species collected are: Chromolaena odorata, Lithocarpus fenestratus, and L. pachyphyllus, followed by Albizia chinensis, Bixa orellana L., Curcuma longa, L. dealbatus, and Morus nigra. Lithocarpus species being the dominant tree genera in the area and collected mainly for firewood by the local people, it is used to extract red as well as a reddish brown. The leaves of Chromoleana odorata and Bixa orellana are used to obtain both green and black, Myrica esculenta Buch., Mentha spicata, Solanum violaceum Ortega, and Parkia lieophylla are used for browns, green and purple. In correlation to European practise, the 30 main plant species identified were also commonly used for medicinal purposes. Strobilanthes cusia, used for black, is very popular amongst the Chin and the customary black textiles obtained with this indigoid have both sacred and secular uses. Other indigo species can also be found: marsedenia tinctorial, strobilanthes flaccidifolia, and several tropical varieties of indigofera indigenous to South East Asia. These are all used in fermentation vats.

With regards to other non-indigoid colours, the plants are generally pounded with a pestle and mortar to break up the cell structure, before being boiled and heated to derive the extract. Locally, this work is principally the task of women, within the Shan community in particular, this entanglement of colour and ritual offers a distinctly female interpretation of the local landscape. The art of dyeing is used in combination with the tying and wrapping of yarns, the dyeing of hanks of thread for extra wefts used to make the famous ikats typical of this mountainous region. Many of these textiles are woven on backstrap looms and the local production of sarongs and sashes remains a significant cottage industry. Decorative textiles in South East Asia are still worn as festive garments marking religious ceremonies, and the making of the cloth it-self can sometimes necessitate both physical and spiritual rituals to protect the well-being of both artisan and wearer. Many rites continue to surround the crafting of traditional fabrics, however, many of the motifs and colours only convey a message significant to those familiar with the social context, spiritual beliefs and botanical principles of the artisans.

Luckily for us, an astounding collection of Burmese textiles still remains from the 1920s allowing us to decipher many of these traditions, linking us to both wearer and artisan. This is now housed in Brighton; and was originally collated by James Green whilst he was in the Burmese military. He and his wife accumulated a multitude of traditional tribal pieces in their efforts to better understand the wearers of these beautiful clothes.

Recent research performed in Chin state (1065; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14121065) looked in particular at the loss of intergenerational knowledge, revealing little interest in natural dyeing in the younger generation and very little current practise of dyeing. Indeed, the only remaining dyers, no longer practised for their personal use but according to commercial demand which dictated commissioned colours.  Natural dye practise has been preserved in Chin villages thanks to the traditional clothing which continues to be worn for solemn occasions such as funerals or wedding celebrations.

It is therefore important to record and preserve this cultural heritage and equally so, to maintain commercial demand as natural dyeing represents a positive socio-economic driver for tribal communities in remote areas whilst playing a parallel botanical conservation role. Studying these traditional textiles not only tells the story of the techniques involved, but also the intimate story of the close contact with the human body of the wearer and the link to the life of the owner as well as the culture of the artisan maker. Through each weave and pattern we learn about the plants surrounding them and their abundance or rarity.

The influence of the decorative practises of both Northern India and China is undeniable. Elaborate matting skills are strongly present and many types of plaited bags and mats woven in intricate patterns reveal a great freedom in the Burmese approach to twining and interlacing fibres.

The palette generally favours black, deep reds, and red-browns, mud as well as a variety of indigo shades. The abundance of barks, roots and leaves available allows for Morinda citrifolia, Caesalpina sappan, Stick lac and Pelthophorum ferrugineum  to be used together, often in intricate brocade motifs.

With Burmese flora being so rich in colour producing plants, investing in ways to develop a local palette based on agroforestry products would be highly beneficial to the local communities and their natural environment.  As interest builds globally in the practise of plant-based colouration, this would also become a good incentive for channelling global interest towards the region and opening up to a favourable international market.

Indigo blue and madder red is often accompanied by the use of supplementary threads of silver and gold. Indigenous aristocracy traditionally commissioned elaborate pieces of richly ornamented cloth that became symbols of their wealth and social status, where gold threads floated abundantly across the surface of the fabric. This remains today and the contemporary palette continues to favour the use of black, red and gold. It is therefore significant to favour the study of anthraquinone producing plants above all in this region, alongside the practise of using mud in combination with tannin-rich tree barks to obtain the iron rich black