Lubago clay dying technique

Traditional bark cloth is available in three colors: the natural brown, a white produced by a heat process that dissolves the material’s natural brown color, and a black added during a post-production clay dying process called Lubago. For the Lubago technique, the brown bark cloth is soaked in local swamp clay for several days, depending on the desired color intensity. After the soaking period, the black bark cloth is rinsed in water and then washed in lemon juice and soap to lose clay residue and fix the color to the material. The following documentary, produced by Ugandan artist and fashion designer Doreen Namatovu, shows this process.

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