Dye for two tones: The story of sustainable mud-coated silk

Abstract

Jia¯o-chou and Xiang-yun-sha¯ are two types of Chinese silks that use eco-friendly vegetable dyeing and iron-rich mudcoated techniques to create a unique texture and two-tone color—shiny black on one side and reddish brown on the other. Mud-coated silks, which have been around since the fifth century, are making a comeback in the fashion world as high-end, luxury textiles.