A step further - Beauty of our Indigo Reserve Shade

Imagine adorning a hue like dark twilight skies and deep calm waters, a colour that evokes monsoons, riverbeds, and midnight landscapes, or the nostalgia of dusk that holds stories. A blue that is rich in character and texture, a blue with a story that bridges past, present and future, taking us back to our cultural roots. This premium shade, called the Indigo Reserve by 11.11/eleven eleven, invites you into its world much like a sommelier offering a taste of a fine vintage.

Our Indigo dyer dyeing in a vat.

Like a vintage bottle of red or the timeless gold of decades-old Whiskey, Indigo Reserve is a colour born through time and history, with detailed craftsmanship and a deep knowledge base. Just as a reserve wine often implies a richer, more complex flavour profile, the Indigo Reserve shade, drawn from an exceptional vat cycle, is a select, high-quality hue carefully crafted by our master artisans through a detailed, time-consuming process. 

POETRY OF INDIGO RESERVE

Natural Indigo dyeing is a highly valued craft, over 6,000 years old, and among the oldest known to humankind. Its story begins in India, where Indigofera tinctoria (the Indigo plant) was more than just a source of colour; it was a gift of healing and spirituality. With mentions in Ayurvedic texts, the leaves were believed to have anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties; hence, the colour itself becomes entwined with well-being.

Indigo Reserve is our deepest and most contemplative expression of this natural Indigo, handcrafted to showcase intention, refinement and a serene confidence. It is a deep, full-bodied blue with a subtle purple undertone, reflecting understated luxury and an earthy, velvety depth. It is a slow-building blue, shaped by aged fermentation, grounded yet regal, adding a sense of mystery, beauty, resilience, value, and tradition.

THE MAKING: ART MEETS ALCHEMY

Indigo at our studio is not just crafted but experienced; its magic is studied with wonder, and its potential is observed with curiosity, to perfect it at a semi-industrial scale. The team led by Adheep Ak and co-founder Shani Himanshu has spent years arriving at a synergy of traditional wisdom and innovative techniques to develop a more durable natural dye, which does not fade, bleed or rub.

The journey towards this passionate R&D began with our own Indigo cultivation on a stretch of land at Hapur Organic Farm, which grew the same crop some 80-100 years ago. Using biodynamic and regenerative farming methods and ancient, traditional practices, we promote a sustainable ecosystem, keeping soil health in mind. Hand-sown and handpicked, our organic cultivation is practised very consciously to result in the final product that yields a much higher tint of blue. This quest to discover and master the craft increased our Indigo’s indigotin content (the rich blue pigment), giving us a saturated, longer-lasting pigment.

Adheep at Indigo farm.

The Indigo is created in traditional, decade-old vats with 100% fructose-based fermentation. These living vats take years to study, understand, and nurture. They form delicate ecosystems that must be constantly maintained and closely observed. Through this deep commitment, the master dyer learns to read the Indigo flower and interpret the health of each vat on a far more intuitive level. A fabric or yarn has to be dipped in these vats more than 20 times, which means investing more than an hour in the dyeing process, to reach the Reserve Shade. Our master dyers, with their skill, achieve this deeper, spirited, layered blues with variation, richness, and personality. This process doesn’t require heat in its making, releases no toxins, and is thus much gentler on both fibre and planet.

It is a colour crafted to experience, a natural hue that is a living, breathing archive of memory. To wear it is to honour high-quality craftsmanship, celebrating a colour that carries heritage, resilience, and the intelligence of nature

Indigo yarns drying post dyeing.

Indigo Reserve is not just about the dye, but the textiles that carry it. Our hand-spun, handwoven cotton denim forms the backbone of our Indigo collection – The 11.5 oz denim made on multi-spindle hand charkhas (spinning wheels) and wooden frame looms in Gujarat has a character and slub texture that factory-made denim can’t replicate. The brand’s signature textiles, like the soft and lightweight essential shirts, made in 200-count fine handspun cotton (with 200 threads per square inch), absorb the deep blue beautifully. Settling in their soft, breathing layers, the hue deepens with each dip and exposure to air, giving the blue its quiet complexity and its sense of time.

EXCLUSIVITY 

Created only when the vat reaches its highest potency, Indigo Reserve is not repeatable in its exactness. It is a small-batch hue — reflective of the climate it was grown in, the day it was dyed, and the artisanal intuition that guided it. It is a colour that wears beautifully with life, softening, settling, and developing a patina unique to its wearer.

Indigo garments are crafted in a slow, mindful way, leaving behind a deeply human feeling with a unique texture and living quality. With a one-of-a-kind feel with a drape that feels natural on the skin and a fit that is functional in the modern lifestyle, each piece is tailored for you by our skilled artisans. Handcrafted with care, intention and thoughtfulness, our pieces enriched with the Reserve Shade come in limited batches, but it is definitely worth the wait!

Video Credits: Karan Anand

Also Read:-

White Gold: The Story of Cotton in India

A Fresh Design Language: Heritage Craft For Modern Garments