About

Botanical Inks is a natural dye house,

offering a kind & gentle way of working with colour,

in harmony with the natural systems of this World.

We provide natural dye services for brands,

whilst also producing our own in-house products,

which demonstrate the possibility of scaled-up, soil-to-soil systems.

Including the Bristol Cloth project and the English Cashmere project.

Along with various opportunities for creatives to learn about natural dye processes

& for brands to transition their own practices.

Botanical Inks offers the follwing services:

• Natural dye house - based in Bristol, South West England, offering small and large scale natural dyeing productions of yarn, thread, cloth (piece dyeing and on the roll) and garment dyeing,

• Books, authored by Babs Behan (published by Quadrille Books, 2018)

• Consultancy in natural dyeing and soil-to-soil textile productions.

• Corporate Events, workshops and product launches.

• Creative workshops - online and in-person, for public and private groups.

• Private tuition - sessions can be booked at your convenience online, in the dye studio in Devon or a location or your choice.

• Online shop for natural dye extracts, our pioneering English cashmere scarves, Bristol Cloth available as meterage of woven cloth, woven scarves and throws and knitting yarn. Along with un-dyed textiles and yarn, organic dye extracts and the Botanical Inks book.

• Bristol Cloth - Available by the metre for designers and brands to purchase for creating locally grown and made garments and accessories.

Who: 

Babs Behan is a natural dyer, author, Tedx Speaker and specialist of non-toxic natural dyeing, inks, printmaking and bioregional regenerative textile systems.

Author of “Botanical Inks Plant-To-Print Dyes, Techniques and Projects” (Quadrille, 2018), and “Botanical Dyes” (Quadrille, 2023).

Founder of Botanical Inks non-toxic natural dye studio and the Bristol Cloth project, as seen on BBC News, BBC Countryfile & Sky News.

Watch Babs’ TedX Bath talk here.

Clients include: the Saatchi Gallery, Tate Museum, Facebook London, Jo Malone, V&A Museum, Hauser + Wirth, Moet Chandon, George at Asda, Marks and Spencers, Fatface, Lacoste, Lily Cole, Ace Hotel, The Newt In Somerset, Soho Farmhouse, Lush LTD, Barbican Centre, Selvedge Magazine & Fashion and Textiles Museum London amongst many others.

Her natural dye work has featured in the Venice Bienelle, Vogue Magazine, BBC Countryfile, Sky News, BBC News, The Financial Times, The Guardian, Hole & Corner Magazine, Selvedge Magazine, Ernest Magazine and Country Home & Interiors Magazine to name a few.

With my work I am creating the possibility of global environmental and cultural regeneration, starting in my bio-region, the South West of England..

I am making a stand for non-toxic bio-regional systems worldwide and sharing my knowledge, skills and experience with others to collectively create a detoxification movement in our global fashion, textiles and art industries.

I seek to inspire others to join this movement through my work with natural dyes by offering training sessions for environmental visionaries, cultural disruptors and fashion activists, who want to join me in making a stand for bioregional non toxic systems.

My work is founded on using systems which do not use harmful synthetic chemicals in any stage of the growing/farming and processing (ie. fertilisers, detergents, bleach, fixatives, dyes, finishers, stiffeners etc); Treats all those who are part of the supply chain and distribution network with respect and care. This requires fair pay terms for all, and paying the true value of materials and services. We only work with non-toxic dye growers and producers and fibre farmers who demonstrate the highest standards of land stewardship and animal husbandry.

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Values: 

By using regenerative and holistically farmed, biological materials, which are safe to farm, use and put back into the earth after their useful life-cycle, we offer an alternative to current trend for petrochemical-derived textiles and creative practices.

We bring awareness to the journey of the things we create and bring into our lives. Moving away from petrochemical based consumerist culture, towards a slower, more appreciative and respectful way of being on the earth. Living with Nature and with respect for her limitations

Natural dyeing is a beautiful medium for connecting with nature through the materials we wear and use. Slowing down to be in relationship with the plants and our environment, we can come back into connection with ourselves, each other and the natural World.

Materials: 

Our products and processes are developed without the use of any toxic synthetic materials or heavy metals, for the wellbeing of our environment and ourselves, setting us apart from many other natural dye artisans.

The Bristol cloth is our pioneering bio-regionally sourced, non-toxic fabric which demonstrates a re-localised soil-to-soil system.

We will only work with local, unbleached, responsibly sourced, 100% natural fibres.

We do not work with man-made natural fibres such as Tencel, lyocell, viscose or rayon, or any synthetic fibres. Nor will we work with natural fibres grown or processed with harmful synthetic chemicals or bleach.

We prioritise the use of local materials grown without harmful synthetic chemicals, and use wildcrafted plants, organic garden produce and recycled food & farm waste, for making dyes and inks along with various responsibly sourced extracts. Food-grade starches, oils and egg are used to make printing mediums, and reclaimed objects for Shibori tie-dying. Our wool is sourced from the Mendips in North Somerset, Cashmere from a holistically managed farm in Devon, while our peace silk comes from an organic mulberry orchard in Hertfordshire. We also work with local paper mills and other artisan mills across the UK to source our materials.