There’s something magical about how a tie-dye shirt can put a smile on your face. The bright colors and unique patterns express a joie de vivre that attributes to its longevity in the fashion world, and some even have described it as “art therapy.” It’s one of those novelty items that everyone seems to have owned at some point in their lives and holds a sense of nostalgia.
It’s Older Than You Think
In the U.S., when you think of tie-dye it’s easy to be transported back to the hippie era of the 1960s, where peace signs and Janis Joplin ruled the scene. However, the process of tying and dying garments actually originated as far back as 500AD in places like Peru, Japan, and India. In Japan, the technique was known as Shibori and was traditionally used with blue hues combined with negative white space. In India, the method was called Bandhani and featured yellow, red, blue, black, and green.
There’s an Art to the Pattern
One of the entertaining aspects of making a tie-dye shirt is seeing what type of design you end up with in the end. While for many, the tie-dye process is spontaneous, there are many specific patterns that can be followed in tie-dye production. The most popular are spirals, bulls-eyes, stripes, and specific shapes. You can learn about all the different techniques to create your own tie-dye apparel here.
Infuse Your Summer With Some Tie-Dye
If all this talk of tie-dye has made you want to express your inner artist, check out the up and coming Tie Dye Fundays at Villas of Grand Cypress, luxury villas in the heart of Orlando. As part of their Spring Into Summer event calendar, you can swing by any Monday or Thursday from May 27th to August 15th and create your own colorful masterpieces. Other activities include building a kite, pool-putting, and drive & dive-in poolside movie nights!
