EP 06: How To Dye Fabric From Food Scraps With Designer Maria Elena Pombo

Maria Elena Pombo is a designer from Venezuela who uses natural dyeing techniques to ignite conversations about society, culture and the environment. She hosts workshops, demonstrations and presentations showcasing how to dye fabric with food scraps such as avocado seeds and onion skins. In 2018, she launched her first collection featuring timeless silhouettes dyed millennial pink with avocado seeds. Listen in for an inspiring conversation about the magical, mystical world of natural dyeing!

Resources:

Fragmentario

* NY Times Feature

Connect with Maria Elena:

Maria Elena’s Website
Maria Elena’s Instagram

Connect with The Our Nature Podcast:

Follow Our Nature on Instagram

Gratitude List: This podcast would not be possible without the group of talented individuals below. I offer them my sincerest thanks and love.

Produced by: Will Wells
Mixed by: Kevin Aguirre Buitrago
Graphics by: Tim LaSalle
Music by: Nick Ceglia

COMPLETE SHOW NOTES

On growing up in Venezuela and how that introduced her to the dangers of nature
How moving to New York made Maria Elena more aware of seasonal influences
Where natural dyes originated from and why Maria Elena became fascinated with the world of natural dyeing
How her partner’s desire to create custom colors for his bag company propelled her onto her true path
How to know what materials you can/cannot sue for natural dyeing
An overview of how to extract color from natural materials
If you don’t use fixatives, dyeing takes a lot longer
Why trial and error is the best way to naturally dye
All about Indigo dyeing
Misconceptions about natural dyeing
Fragmentario’s workshops - connecting natural dyeing to societal and environmental conversations
Maria Elena’s first collection for Fragmentario made from the color of fabric dyed with avocado seeds
The link between natural dyeing and water quality
The circular economy of natural dyes
Where to start if you’re interested in dyeing with natural materials
How do dye with onion skins
How to dye with avocado seeds
Why there’s a resurgence of interest in natural dyes
The last five questions

THE LAST 5 QUESTIONS:

What is your favorite place in nature?

The beach
What is the animal, mineral or plant that resonates with you the most?

La Mandioca (Cassava)
What is one thing we can do right now to connect with the natural world and bring more harmony into our lives?

I think appreciate it more and don’t ask from it, give to it.
What’s the greatest lesson nature has taught you?

There’s a lot of harmony. Everything is assigned how it’s assigned for a reason.
Nature brings me…

Calm