Madder
Root · warm reds
§ 08 · Natural DyesSection 08
Colour from the Himalayan forest.
HFMN promotes natural colorants and plant-based dyes as part of Nepal's sustainable textile future — connecting local biodiversity, traditional knowledge, eco-friendly processing and high-value textile branding.
The Story
A palette measured in generations, not seasons.
Long before synthetic dyes reached Nepal, colour came from the same forest that fed the village. Madder root for red. Marigold for yellow. Walnut husk for brown. Rhododendron petals for rose. Each recipe was held by an elder, adjusted by hand and passed down as much through smell as through measurement.
HFMN's natural-dye programme is a slow, careful attempt to bring that knowledge into a standardised colour library — one that keeps its provenance intact while giving today's weavers, cooperatives and designers a reliable palette to specify, order and export.
The Botanical Palette
Sources of Natural Colorants.
Every dye pot is a small research lab — the fibers of Nepal drink from a forest of roots, barks, flowers and leaves. Here is the working palette.
Turmeric
Rhizome · golden yellow
Walnut
Husk · warm browns
Pomegranate Peel
Skin · ochre & khaki
Marigold
Petal · soft yellow
Indigo
Leaf · deep blues
Tea Waste
Leaf · beige & tan
Onion Skin
Skin · russet gold
Rhododendron
Flower · rose reds
Forest Botanicals
Bark & leaf · greens
Colour from the forest
Madder, marigold, indigo — the old palette.
Every dye pot is a small research lab: biodiversity, traditional knowledge and low-chemistry processing, together.
Sources
The Botanical Palette
- ◆Madder root
- ◆Marigold
- ◆Indigo possibilities
- ◆Tea waste
- ◆Onion skin
- ◆Rhododendron research
- ◆Forest-based dye plants
- ◆Local barks, leaves, roots and flowers suitable for research
8.1
Natural Dye Research
Identification and testing of local dye plants and colorants under HFMN's research and quality framework.
8.2
Farmer and Community Linkage
Community collection, cultivation and cooperative supply of dye plants — creating a parallel forest-and-farm income stream.
8.3
Dyeing Infrastructure
Village dye-houses, standardised recipes, colour libraries and wastewater treatment aligned with ESG standards.
8.4
Product & Branding
Naturally-dyed silks, wools and blends carrying the HFMN certification for provenance, colour source and ecological impact.
In Practice
The dye pot, as a workplace.
Everything HFMN does — from a mulberry seedling to a finished bolt of cloth — is stewarded by a real cooperative, a real weaver and a real ledger. This is a snapshot.
01
Foraged inputs
Farmer linkage
Madder, walnut husk and rhododendron flowers are bought from farming households at published seasonal rates — a second income from what used to be waste.
02
Village dye-houses
Shared infrastructure
Cooperative dye-houses share vats, mordants and wastewater treatment — costs no single artisan could carry alone.
03
Colour library
Standardised recipes
Every recipe is logged with plant source, mordant and lot number — so a colour from 2024 can be reproduced in 2026, and traced back to a farm.
“My grandmother knew the plants. HFMN taught us to write down the recipe.