A Regenerative Approach to Natural Dyeing: Applying Permaculture Principles in a Natural Dye Studio.

The following journal article is inspired by a Beatriz from Quinta das Relvas and a roundtable discussion we did together on art and sustainability for LABECO program at Gabinete de Madame Tao. 

LABECO studio visit to Tinctorium Studio, gathered around the seedling greenhouse. Photo by Charlotte.

At Tinctorium Studio, natural dyeing and ecoprinting are not just creative expressions—they're part of a broader regenerative philosophy rooted in the ethics and principles of permaculture*. While the word natural often carries an eco-friendly connotation, not everything natural is sustainable. How we do things matters far more than simply what we do. Using plant dyes on cheap fabrics, relying on plastic barriers, or sourcing dye plants from questionable origins is not sustainability—it's greenwashing.

Modern natural dyeing has resurfaced as a 'sustainable craft' but sadly I often see it taught without consideration to life cycles. Is it really sustainable when plants are purchased from a conventional florist (most cut flowers are extremely problematic because transportation and heavy reliance on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers), where water usage isn’t strategically managed, plastics are used as barriers, and cheap fabrics and dye materials are chosen. 

Dyeing fabric - naturally or synthetically - is an extremely resource consuming and potentially polluting activity. Historically, the pursuit of natural colors incentivised slavery, colonialization, and repression…. The examples are endless and I talk about them often (see the Fall newsletter for for more). For modern natural dyeing and ecoprinting to be truly ECO, Tinctorium Studio proposes a permaculture or regenerative approach to this magical craft.

Permaculture has an easily referenced list of 12 principles to create a system that respects ecology, community, and craft. Integrating these principles into the studio’s routine is a daily practice and a continual journey. Below I’ve chosen a few of these principles to illustrate how this looks in a natural dye practice.

Herbarium studies with Spring weeds before printing the Spring collection.

1. Observe and Interact

For me, this is the most important principle—the one that makes all the others possible. Every project begins with observation: of the land, the seasons, the plants. Rather than forcing results, I work with the technique of ecoprinting, letting the plants speak for themselves.

This means allowing the natural qualities of the technique to guide the design. The marks from string bindings, the way plant color travels through layered fabric, the unexpected patterns—all of these are not only embraced, but highlighted. Observation comes first, and style or pattern follows. In this way, pieces can also be re-dyed over time, adapting and evolving with use.

When outcomes aren’t what I expect, the process doesn’t end—it deepens. I take time to observe what is happening on the fabric and interact with it again, giving it another layer of color or a new process to reveal unexpected beauty.

This principle also calls for an ongoing dialogue with the surrounding ecology. I only gather what is abundant, in-season, or discarded. What the landscape offers is what I use.

Fallen trees after depressão Martinho provided an abundance of foliage for dyeing and printing.

2. Catch and Store Energy

This principle may seem straightforward—solar panels, batteries—but energy isn’t just electricity. It’s also the pigment held in a fallen leaf, or the potential in a fabric scrap. In the studio, all materials are seen as valuable and full of energy.

I collect and store rainwater for dyeing. I use induction stoves, which are the most energy-efficient for my needs, and I prefer passive processes that harness time and sunlight rather than relying on active heat.

Plants are dried and saved for future use. Nothing is wasted. Even fabrics that aren’t used in finished pieces are repurposed as auxiliary material for testing, bundling, or layering. Everything gets a second life.

First pieces of this color combination featuring 4-year madder root grown in the studio garden.

9. Use Small and Slow Solutions

Natural dyeing is, by its very nature, a slow craft. There’s no place for fast fashion here. Every piece takes time—gathering the plants, preparing the fabrics, and allowing the color to slowly unfold.

I work on one piece at a time and purchase materials in small quantities. This allows me to remain flexible and responsive—to change course easily based on what’s available, what’s growing, or what has unexpectedly appeared in the studio.

Slowness here is not a limitation—it’s an intentional rhythm that invites presence and care.

Spring pieces bundled using diverse strategies - never with plastic.

10. Use and Value Diversity

Diversity is at the heart of natural dyeing. Every season brings different plants. Every material takes color differently. The wider the range, the richer the practice.

I work with whatever comes into my life: second-hand or new, silk or cotton, wild-foraged or garden-grown. I’m not dogmatic about material sources—instead, I focus on using what is available and in need of purpose.

The prints and dye results vary depending on plant variety, fabric type, and technique—and that variation is something I celebrate. I also diversify in how I work: I teach, I create, I experiment. I’m constantly blending techniques and approaches to keep the practice dynamic and evolving.

Permaculture is not a thing that you do, but a daily practice and way of life. It is a philosophy from which to interact with the world. If natural dyeing and ecoprinting is practiced for its purely aesthetic purposes with the goal to achieve the brightest, most precise, replicable colors - it won’t be a very regenerative practice. Embrace the ecosystem you are a part of and it will change your life. 

This is just a glimpse of how permaculture shapes my studio work. It’s not about checking boxes, but about building a way of working that’s adaptive, respectful, and alive. At Tinctorium Studio, natural dyeing isn’t just about using plants—it’s about respecting the process, working in collaboration with the land, and creating in a way that regenerates rather than extracts. This is more than craft or art—it’s a living system. Ecoprinting and natural dyeing are so beautiful, it becomes even more meaningful when the creative practice doesn’t implicate others.

The studio is nowhere near perfect and continues to have a journey ahead to true sustainability. Plans for the future include continually increasing rainwater catchment capacity, transitioning to more solar, and continually improving the garden's soil life. On the fiber side, I dream of a Portuguese fibershed movement that's yet to come. Come visit the space during an Open Studio to see and learn more.

P.S. This article was inspired by and written in response to a panel discussion on Art and Sustainability, by invite of  Sandrine from Gabinete de Madame Tao for the LABECO European exchange. The panel also included two incredible women who I highly recommend cheking out - Beatriz from Quinta das Relvas and Rita from OSSO Colective. 

*Please note, the word Permaculture emerges in Australia through Bill Molisson and David Holmren in the 1970's. These gentlemen by no means are the founders of these ideas, but simply translated indigenous wisdom into western language.  Although this article uses the word permaculture as the commonly understood phrase, it acknowledges the origin and preservation of these ideas exclusively through indigenous peoples all over the world who have for most of modern history suffered extreme violence and subjugation at the hands of the same nations that now sell these ideas in an (generally) expensive PDC.