At Indigo Cocoons we set out to make beautiful wraps that are unique and special, just like your baby. Our philosophy is that we will use only those materials that are in harmony with you, your baby and the world in which we live. We use only natural dyes, and the dying is done by hand. All dyes used are natural, and non toxic. We hand dye each wrap making it unique for you and your baby.
Why Hemp?
We use hemp instead of cotton, for many reasons. Conventionally farmed cotton uses over 10% of the world pesticides as well as almost 25% of the global insecticides, more than any other crop, let alone what chemicals are used in manufacture, often including formaldehyde. Organically grown cotton is much safer, however it is still a very thirsty crop, and usually leaves the soil depleted.
Hemp however, is very drought tolerant, requires few if any pesticides, herbicides, fungicides at all. Hemp is naturally resistant to most diseases and pests, thus negating the need for these toxic chemicals to be used. As it is a very dense crop, there is simply no room for weeds to grow. Our Hemp is wild harvested in China, and manufactured using only water.
Hemp is also used to help reclaim land from mismanagement and depletion. It has a deep tap root, enabling it to survive in very dry conditions. The deep tap root also means that it can access nutrients below the immediate topsoil and make them available for other plants. It is also a very sustainable crop as it reaches maturity in about 110 days, and gives a higher yield per acre than many other crops such as cotton. After a hemp crop the soil is left richer and more nutrient rich for following crops. Hemp is cited by some as being an big part of the answer to climate change, as well as other ecological challenges humans face.
Hemp fabric is mould, mildew resistant as well as anti microbial. When tightly woven is has an estimated UV resistance of 90%. Other fabrics achieve no more than 70%.
Whilst hemp is thought to be a rough and coarse fibre, hemp softens with each wash, quickly becoming soft. All Indigo Cocoons are 'worked' during the dyeing process and tested to make sure they are wonderfully soft enough for even a newborn. The fibre is stronger wet than dry so there is no wearing out of hemp, instead hemp 'wears in'. It breathes better and wicks moisture better than cotton as it is a more porous fibre. Hemp fibre is also 3 times stronger than cotton, a crucial factor in deciding to use hemp for Indigo Cocoons wrap around baby carriers.
Hemp has virtually no THC, unlike marijuana, and so your baby will not get ‘high’ when they chew on it. Nor can you smoke it. Well you could smoke it if you really wanted to, but there would be none of the THC effects if you did. Your lungs would not thank you for it either.
For all these reasons we at Indigo Cocoons believe that hemp is a superior fabric to cotton, perfectly suited to our uses and ethics. By choosing to use hemp instead of cotton we are taking responsibility for the choices we make and their effects. We are choosing to enrich our world rather than drain it.
Why Natural Dyes?
At Indigo Cocoons the question is "why would you use anything else?" The dyes we use come from mainly plants, so most are suitable for vegans. These plants give an amazing depth and vibrancy of colour. Looking at well dyed fabric or yarn that has been dyed with plant dyes the colours are so rich and vibrant they seem to take on their own life, and are so lovely I just can't stop touching them.
The artisan traditions of making things slowly, and carefully by hand are continued at Indigo Cocoons. Artisan made goods are unique, special, each one made with care and love. Your wrap from Indigo Cocoons is made thoughtfully, with respect. Your baby is unique, and so is your wrap.
Our natural dyes use absolutely no heavy metals or toxins. If we can't put the used dyebath onto the compost or garden, then it is not good enough for our babies and their world. This way our Cocoons nurture the soil as well as you and your baby.
From every day extracts such as Onion skins, Hibiscus flowers, and Walnut shells to some more exotic ingredients such as Cochineal, Fustic, Madder and Logwood. We can't begin to describe how much we love our Indigo vat. So much so that it became the inspiration for our name! All of the dyes we use are edible, and many have been used medicianlly as well.
