Maiwa's Dyeable Shimoga Shirt — The Perfect Layer

by Maiwa - Tuesday, February 11, 2025

THE SHIMOGA SHIRT

This Maiwa piece is the perfect oversized shirt. The versatility of wearing it open or closed makes it a Maiwa favourite and a great layering piece. The Shimoga Shirt stays true to what we believe about timeless sustainable design; it's easily worn year round.

SEE ALL DYEABLE SHIMOGA SHIRTS

SEE ALL NATURAL DYES

SEE ALL NATURAL DYE KITS

THE RECIPE

Are you a dyer? Here's how we dyed one of our favourite reds.

Scour the shirt and scarf using 2 tsp Synthrapol and 4 tsp Soda Ash in a pot of hot water. / Mordant using 10% WOF Ground Gallnut in warm water for 1 hour, squeeze and give a very light rinse. / Follow with 8% WOF Alum Acetate in warm water for 1 hour, squeeze and very light rinse – let dry overnight.

Prepare a Chalk bath to neutralize acetate – 2 tbsp Chalk (Calcium Carbonate) to a bucket of warm water. Soak for 10 mins in this bath working the cloth so it gets fully wetted out. Squeeze and light rinse.

Prepare a dye pot with hot water (enough for shirt to fit plus extra so it floats without constraint). / Add and heat 30% WOF Madder Cordifolia & dissolve 10% WOF Cutch extract. Let these heat for 30 mins until you have a healthy steam/simmer. / Add the Shimoga Shirt. Move around thoroughly for 5 minutes … then make sure cloth is all below the surface and keep hot for 45-60 mins. Stirring occasionally (every 5 mins or so). Keep at a steady simmer.

Remove the shirt from dye pot. You can keep this dye as there is still lots of colour - and use it to dye the scarf. / Rinse with warm water until water runs fairly clear. Let hang to dry. This shirt can now be enjoyed! We do like to let the colour cure in the cloth for one to two weeks before we use soap. After curing you can do a final rinse with a mild, pH neutral, liquid soap.

The Pom Pom Scarf was mordanted the same way as the Shimoga Shirt and dyed in the exhaust bath (the dye bath used for the shirt).