CYBERJAYA, June 3 — T-shirts coloured yellow with daun ketapang or Indian almond leaves. Bags hand dyed red or dusky pink with kayu sepang or sappanwood. Handwoven scarves in a soft green colour, courtesy of pokok nila and turmeric.

You will be surprised as this subtle palette of colours is courtesy of Nature. Munir Osman believes that botanically dyed apparel is the way of the future, hence the creation of his brand, Muni.

This sustainable fashion dyed in colours extracted from our tropical backyard is the best way to go forward without killing the planet with chemicals from industrial dyes. "I want to show natural dye can be for current fashion even though the techniques are traditional. The style can be modern for young people,” he said.

Munir Osman started his botanically dyed apparel brand, Muni after falling in love with the soft, subtle colours.

For Munir, the passion for natural hand-dyed products blossomed in the course of his interior design work. Thanks to a project in Bali to oversee the reconstruction of traditional wooden houses for a client, the architectural graduate was given an opportunity to visit the island. During that visit, he discovered Indonesian textiles, all using natural dyes at Ubud. "I loved the very subtle, soft colours, unlike those using synthetic dyes.”

Inspired, Munir travelled to Jogjakarta where he learned how to use natural dyes and make batik. He returned with the long-term plan to kickstart his own brand, utilising botanical dyes. Taking up to one year of experimentation, until he was comfortable with the whole hand dyeing process, the Muni brand was born in October last year.

Rather than pursue traditional batik or the atypical tie dye path, he broke away with his own minimalist style — creating simple, timeless looks that will appeal to the younger, urban crowd. So far, the range covers T-shirts, bags, caps and scarves. The approach has worked, as his customer base is mainly adults in their 20s to 30s.

The dyed fabric is rinsed with water before they are hung to dry naturally (left). The dye materials are measured precisely with a scale to ensure the process (right).

Before the fabric is dyed, it is scoured to ensure it’s clean from any dirt.

The brand has also attracted interest from Japanese expatriates. He explained, "It’s something that can be worn every day, more like casual wear and not exclusive.” He reaches out to people by attending bazaars, chatting with many who are unaware of the existence of natural dyes.

"I am glad to talk to people during the bazaars as some don’t understand,” For the latest Riuh, he designed a range of T-shirts, army caps and bags — all in varying shades of indigo blue, courtesy of the pokok nila — evoking a blue safari theme.

Keeping it completely natural as only soap nut berries are used to clean the fabric.

Once the dyed products are taken from the pot, they are air dried in the studio.

His best seller is a quirky looking knot bag. The canvas pouch bag with longer handles you can knot, comes in a range of pretty hues that make you want to own them all. Another range includes a canvas tote bag that works well as an all-purpose carry all. It’s not as soft as Muni’s other canvas bags as they have been applied with beeswax to make them water repellent.

Muni adopts a totally organic approach to his hand dyeing process. He explained, "I enjoy doing the process alone. I like doing it, the colour combinations. I just base it on my own judgement, by going with the flow and not follow any guidelines.” He is also a believer in taking it slow. The various stages are done at a leisurely pace, taking him one to three days for each stage. He adds, "You cannot rush these things, it shows in your work and etc.”

Munir prefers to take it slow and easy for each stage of the hand dyeing process to ensure no mistakes are made.

As part of the whole organic approach, Munir built a special studio from reclaimed wood to be his workshop.

When it comes to Nature, the possibilities for the colours are endless. He explains, "We live in the tropics with a variety of plants we can use.” What makes it interesting is the colour of the dye material is not an indicator of what colour comes out. Think of it as a big surprise every time you hand dye something! That’s the beauty of botanically dyed items... it’s different, making each piece covetable. "I want people to understand that it’s a raw process. Imperfections will show. I want people to embrace the colours and don’t expect the results to be the same every time. There will be differences and that’s the charm of natural dye.”

The natural dye process is very much an exploratory one. Muni tells us that he once went wild at the Pasar Borong Selangor, picking up all kinds of produce from the shelves to experiment. Who knew the skin from jering, the stinky bean, will produce a nice brown shade. Or banana leaves will give you a soft yellow greenish hue. Even the coconut husk produces peach coloured hues. His experiments even saw him using the leaves from a bouquet of roses, gifted to his mother. One time, he even visited a nearby village to source for mango leaves.

His favourite dye materials include kayu sepang, daun ketapang, gambir and buah pinang.

After much trial and error, he has settled down with his favourite ingredients for his hand dye process. This includes buah pinang or betel nut, gambir or pale catechu, kayu sepang or sappanwood and daun ketapang or Indian almond leaves. Even rambutan and mangosteen skins can be used. Most of these items can be sourced locally. Sometimes, he gets the items from Indonesia, like the pokok nila, used to produce the indigo blue colour.

The experiments also include testing various fabrics to hand dye. He discovered that depending on the type of fabric, the absorption of dye is different, affecting the final colour. So far, he has tried rayon, canvas, linen and cotton. Eventually, he would like to switch to organic cotton as he prefers a more natural approach.

To house his workshop, he built a studio in the compound of his home, using reclaimed wood. It’s his Zen place..

Try these soft handwoven scarves dyed with soft, subtle colours from Nature.

You will notice that the colours vary for each piece as it’s hard to recreate the same palette every time.

Before he starts the hand dyeing process, it’s important to ensure the base is absolutely clean. He’ll start by soaking the fabric. This will get rid of any dirt in the process. Once the base is ready, it’s time to prepare the dye material.

This is usually boiled to extract the colour from the materials. Once the dye material is ready, the base is left for a few days to soak in the colour. Munir uses mineral salts that will change the colour of the dye. For instance, the reddish tinge from kayu sepang turns a purplish hue with the addition of the salt. Once that is complete, he’ll use alum salts that will make the cloth colour fast. These processes all take time, from soaking to drying them naturally.

The range of products include various bags and pouches, some which have been given a beeswax treatment to make it water repellant.

Everything is produced in small batches, limited to the size of his pot. With a small batch, most items sell out quickly hence it’s best to visit him at bazaars to grab these coveted pieces. The advantage as a small batch producer means he can customise various themes for his products.

Depending on each bazaar he attends, he’ll vary the colours offered. This keeps his products fresh for his customers. Muni also does customised items, on special requests.

Since starting this venture, Munir is invested solely in growing his baby. He talks about taking things forward to include home furnishings. Expect curtains, cushion covers, table runners, table napkins, pillowcases and coasters.....all decked out in Nature’s beauty.

Featuring two different hues, this tote bag is part of the Blue Safari range.

He also aspires to sell his products in an environment that fits his philosophy. "Natural dye is part of a larger process, like slow fashion and slow food. It needs to be placed in an environment that fits it.” This could be an organic store with lifestyle products. Another possibility includes bringing it back to where he got his inspiration... to Bali.

"When I started the Muni brand, it was a risk. I am challenging myself.”

Muni Botanical Dye Apparel Website: https://www.munimalism.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/munimalism/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/munimalism/