From 2023 until now-beyond our expectations
Continuing from our 2025 article, “Back to the Future—The Story of Plant Dyes”
Who knew? The biggest game changers are the things you didn’t know you could have.
And we got it twice.
When Lotus went to China in late 2023 and discovered the availability of plant-dyed fabrics that could be used for Lotus & Michael, we were very excited. That was for two reasons: First, they were perfect for our mission of doing no harm and second, they could introduce new dimensions of product to our line.
Our first offerings were various shades of blue produced from the Indigo plant, much the same as Levi Strauss used for his first pair of denim jeans in the 19th Century. With the addition of plant-dyed fabric garments to our shirt line, we expanded Lotus & Michael to complete outfits.
Our offering was great, equally so for men and women. A CPO, a Mandarin jacket and pants (see them here). Various shades of blue introduced an alternative to denim which would age as well or better, and highlighted the beauty of the “bamboo” linen/cotton fabric we called “bamboo x happiness” which we used to create our “roughwear” offering. We found, to our pleasure, that the fabric aged beautifully with repeated (cold) washings, and that no staining was present on the white handkerchief we inserted in the machine. And they displayed our signature embroideries with honor and taste.
Conclusion: plant dyed shades of blue earned their way into the Wabi-sabi wardrobe we were building. A taste of well-worn vintage with the excitement of something natural and beautiful.
We continued the blue journey with an 8-wale corduroy for fall which lent itself to soft and durable men’s pants and a lovely overall for women with a removable mamba-embroidered belt we called “Two Sided Mamba.” Again, this fabric also earned its penny after washing.
Our success with the blues led us to try our next plant dyed fabric with persimmon as its origin. The plant produced a workman’s brown lined safari jacket with waxed finish and eagle embroidery, thus our name “The Eagle Has Landed”; this fabric has been one of the few superstars in the fashion business in the last several years. Ours was different in that the fabric and finish was 100% sustainable and a couple hundred bucks cheaper than the market leader, giving nothing in quality back due to price. In fact, our jacket had more complete construction than the recognized market leader. Dress it with an eagle embroidery and wear it with pride when the weather is questionable. Again, it softens and mellows with your wearings.
All that done, the greatest surprise was yet to come. Not only could we reliably produce quality garments with plant dyed fabrics, but we could produce beautiful and unique fashion shades and inviting fabrics with all natural origins.
The first- onion dyes. When you see a bag of onions in the supermarket, you have no clue that they could be responsible for the color on a 100% cotton garment; in the first offering: man-tailored trousers for men and women, which we named “Sweet Onion,” that not only drape incredibly well and give a beautiful home to red trim and double happiness embroidery, but offer a color that is so unusual in that it gives you pause when you look at it. It’s brown, but a vintage brown that would never look the same if you tried to duplicate it with synthetic dyes. Gorgeous color! All the result of nature! And wonderfully accepting of any other color you pair with it.
Then- Gardenia dyes. The flower is very familiar, but the color it produces for 100% cotton garments is special-- warming yet cool, bright yet subdued. A yellow that gives vintage hints of mustard colors of days gone by. You want to wear it because it is so inviting, yet so different and goes with most anything. A grasshopper embroidered on the shoulder completes a very unique package that is very exciting to wear. That is why we offered it in shirts for both men and women; we called it “Leap.” Even better, the fabric we chose can be worn as a traditional shirt, tucked or untucked, OR as an overshirt with suitable weight for those cool spring evenings or a bracing sea breeze.
But what happened to blue? Did we give it up or sideline it? No. Blue is too important to our offering not to include it. The fabric we chose is a great all-purpose fabric for summer, when you want something cool and comfortable: 100% cotton ruched crepe is super soft, supple, and very friendly to the body. We offer it in a classic short sleeved shirt for men which we name “Indigo Summer,” and a comfort qipao dress for women. Beach, party, boardwalk-walking, vacation—doesn’t matter, it works for all. So, this fabric fulfills one of our most important goals—to make everything as multifunctional as possible. And why not give this standalone fabric the honor of embroidering it with our namesake flower—the Lotus-- which has no problem either standing alone or in a group. So when you wear these garments you can feel beautiful and proud.
What’s next? The only thing we can tell for sure is that we will continue to be inspired by truly sustainable garments which reflect the natural beauty and reverence for the earth that has been the hallmark of our line from day one.
Have you tried plant dyed fabrics? Their beauty and sustainability is unquestioned. IF you wish to make their natural origin your little secret, that’s ok. Let’s leave it as IYKYK. You can see our new arrivals together and our entire plant-dyed collection for ease of shopping
And stay tuned for the next offering.
This article is the third in our series about plant dyed fabrics and garments. To read the original references that explain a little more about plant dyes, please see:
“’Back to the Future’- The story of Plant Dyes”
“Lotus & Michael’s Vision led by Plant Dyed Fabric Garments”
And, of course, all the great styles at our web store: www.lotusandmichael.com
Oh, and the video of them in action, a piece of our real lives: www.youtube.com/@lotusandmichael