Tie-dying is a craft that goes back to centuries ago in different continents. Indigo is the oldest dye known to man, with origins going back to 2500 BC in Ancient Egypt. Indigo-dyed textiles have been valued all over the world and there was a time when Indigo was used as currency by traders who traveled across continents.

Shibori is a collective term in Japanese that refers to various form of tie-dyeing, stitch-dyeing, fold-dyeing and wrap-dyeing. The word shibori comes from Japan, but the craft technique originated in several parts of the world with patterns that are unique to that region and culture. In India it is called Bandhini, in Africa Adire, and in Indonesia it is known as Plangi. 

Shibori patterns are usually very intricate. They are made by stitching the fabric closely and tightly together in a certain design, and then dipping the fabric into a dye. When the fabric is dried and the stitches removed, a pattern is revealed showing off the original fabric colour where the stitched fabric did not absorb the dye. Shibori can be very time consuming and requires skilled labour if the design is very intricate.