Shahpur Jat in Delhi is known for its Indian fashion designers and businesses associated with fashion, such as bead and sequin shops. The lanes of Shahpur Jat are also home to a number of men dyeing fabric to order. Sitting in little open front shops, surrounded by buckets of water, a gas ring and a tray loaded with pots of dye, the men wait for customers from one of the fashion houses.
When I dye to get an exact shade, I first look up the dye quantities in my dyers dictionary. I mix initial solutions and then from those take amounts that sometimes are little more than three drops of one colour mixed to a tablespoon of another, to achieve the requisite colour. Oh yes, I also wear an apron, gloves and a mask whilst the measuring and mixing of chemicals goes on. By contrast the men worked intuitively and I looked on in amazement at the open lidded pots of dye that the dyer was constantly spooning dye from. The men didn't wear gloves or masks, so what on earth are they breathing all day every day? Yes, this was dyeing Indian style!
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