Natural dyes add colour to organic cotton sarees at Co-optex

Co-optex procures the Indigo dyes, which are from the Indigofera Tinctoria plant and give a rich blue shade, from Tindivanam and supplies it to a processing unit at Gobichettipalayam for processing the yarn.

Co-optex has launched Indigo dyed organic cotton sarees in Coimbatore.—Photo: M. Periasamy

Co-optex outlets in Coimbatore, Chennai, Pune, Madurai, Mumbai and Bengaluru will soon have a special range of organic cotton sarees – those processed using Indigo dyes.

Co-optex launched organic cotton sarees in February last year and sold about 4,700 sarees till March this year across the country and through online sales. This year, it has already sold 1,200 sarees. These are woven in five major clusters – Dindigul, Vadambacherry, Paramakudi, Salem, and Kanchipuram. The Indigo-dye sarees are a range in the organic cotton saree collection, says the Managing Director of Co-optex T.N. Venkatesh.

Currently, weavers at Vadambacherry (Coimbatore District) and Paramakudi (Ramanathapuram district) are involved in the Indigo-dye organic cotton saree production. They are expected to deliver about 300 sarees in the first month, jointly. If the response is good, it will be expanded to other clusters such as Chettinad, Rasipuram, and Kanchipuram.

Co-optex procures the Indigo dyes, which are from the Indigofera Tinctoria plant and give a rich blue shade, from Tindivanam and supplies it to a processing unit at Gobichettipalayam for processing the yarn. There is a huge demand for the Indigo-dye used textile products in the market, especially from young customers. Co-optex will soon expand it to home furnishing (curtains, bed spreads, and pillow covers) and to dress materials, he told

The Hindu here on Sunday.

Production of organic cotton sarees and use of natural dyes has benefited the weavers largely as they find it remunerative to continue weaving cotton sarees, he says.

Co-optex sold 34,000 cotton sarees between April and July this year as against 27,000 last year. It conducted “Paruthi” exhibitions and Aadi Adhishtam sales. It sells products through three e-commerce portals and its website too. “We get 15 to 20 orders a day on our portal,” says Mr. Venkatesh.