PHOTOGRAPHED FROM OUR STOCK
The cloth behind these terms
Unretouched photographs from our own floor. Colour varies between dye lots; the swatch card is the only reliable reference.
BUYING SILK · 100% MULBERRY SILK · FROM A CHINESE MILL
Forty metres, one approved dip, and a retained sample so the next run matches.
Dyeing silk to order is a matter of recipe, water and time. We dye from 40 metres per colour, against a Pantone reference or a physical swatch, with a lab dip approved before the bulk vat is run.
Two things make the difference between a colour that matches and one that does not: the dip is dyed in the same house as the bulk, and a cutting from the bulk is retained so the next order can be matched against it rather than against memory.
Custom dyeing is not reserved for programme volume. Forty metres per colour is the practical floor for a dye lot and it is where our minimum sits.
The dye class is chosen for the fibre and the fastness the end use needs. If the garment will be washed, say so — the route changes.
The retained bulk sample is the reference for the next lot, which is what stops a repeat order drifting a shade.
| Item | Term |
|---|---|
| Minimum | 40 metres per colour |
| Reference | Pantone code or a physical swatch |
| Approval | Lab dip on the actual fabric, approved before bulk |
| Bases | Any family in the catalogue, confirmed at quotation |
| Continuity | Retained cutting from the bulk held against repeat orders |
| Also available | Sand-washing, softening and other finishing routes |
Tell the dyer what the garment has to survive. A colour that only needs to look right on a dry-clean-only gown is a different recipe from one that will be washed, and the fastness requirement is what decides the dye class. If the end use is washable, say so before the dip, not after the bulk.
Heavier shades cost more to hit and drift more between lots, particularly on deep reds, navies and blacks. Where a programme depends on a dark shade matching across seasons, the retained cutting matters more than the original dip, because it is the physical standard the next lot is mixed against.
These search phrases all land here because they mean the same thing:
If you were looking for a different commercial question, the wholesale page covers programmes and the ready-stock page covers what is on the shelf right now.
Yes. Send the Pantone reference and we will dye a lab dip on the actual fabric for approval. Bear in mind that a Pantone chip is printed on paper and silk is a reflective filament surface — the dip is the agreement, not the code.
Forty metres per colour. Below that the lot is uneconomic to run; above it the price per metre improves as the setup cost spreads.
It will be matched to the retained cutting from your bulk lot, which is the best reference available. Dyeing is a natural-product process and absolute identity between lots is not achievable; what we control is the drift.
We dye cloth from our own production. Send us the fabric details if you have a base in mind and we will confirm whether we can match or supply it.
It can. Dyeing relaxes the cloth and finishing sets it again; heavy shades sometimes need a different route. If the hand is critical, dip and finish a sample length before committing to the lot.
PHOTOGRAPHED FROM OUR STOCK
Unretouched photographs from our own floor. Colour varies between dye lots; the swatch card is the only reliable reference.
Tell us the quantity and the colour and we will quote it with a confirmed dispatch date.
