ARQ Paloma Leo (hand dyed)

ARQ Paloma bodysuit, hand dyed with natural material. The dye material used was Lac, which comes from a beetle known from antiquity throughout India, Southeast Asia, Nepal and China. Lac dye was used to color silk and dye leather as early as 250 AD. (Picture with another Paloma I did in Logwood) This is part of an ARQ dye project so please see my closet for other pieces. I’d like to recover at least a small portion of the cost of the dye materials, although mostly it was a labor of love 😁 I’m dying them by hand, using natural plant dyes. The process involves a lot of soaking, simmering, stirring, and rinsing, and in some cases, this caused the ARQ logo to wear off, but all pieces are new and unworn. Natural dyes are usually not as colorfast or lightfast as chemical dyes. As with any ARQ pieces, wash by hand or in cold water on the delicate cycle and line dry. Do not line dry under direct sun.