Dipping into the land of blue with Tiantaru

The blue on my nails is almost gone. One month ago, I spent 6 hours up in the north of Bali in an indigo dye course by Tiantaru. The morning started with us wandering in the forests near the home of our host and picking wild indigo leaves. They then demonstrated the processes that would be required over the next three days to prepare the vats that we were lucky enough to use.

We spent the day creating a beautiful piece from hand-loomed cotton that was specifically designed by each of us with the help of rubber bands and clips to make a tie-dye effect. We were warmly welcomed by our hosts, Sebastian and Ayu, in their home up in the jungle and guided through the process by a master of indigo, Andika.

It was a day of awe and by 3 PM from my forearms to my fingernails it was solid blue. At this moment the final remnants are still present on my thumbnails, kind of a badge of honor. Having loved my indulgent participation that day, it’s a course that I would highly recommend for anybody interested in taking a dip into the land of blue.

All of these beautiful photos are by Zissou.

Tiantaru was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal. See more here.