Blue is the rarest color found in nature —some even call it the phantom of color for its rarity. One source of natural dye that produces blue is a plant from the legume or bean family called indigofera tinctoria. This plant grows wild in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with pea-like fruit and small leaves measuring 0.5-1 cm in diameter. These small, bush-like leaves are the essence of Tinctori. The brand name itself is inspired by this plant, indigofera tinctoria. The glycoside indican substance from the indigofera plant is the source of the blue color used in various parts of the world—Japan, India, and even Egypt.
Tinctori was born from the passion of the villagers of Gemawang, Jambu District, Semarang Regency, Central Java, in 2008. Mas Saiful – founder and owner of Tinctori – took the time to chat with Pable from his village in the mountain ridge of Mount Kelir. Initially, Mas Saiful’s father was a natural dye paste maker from indigofera tinctoria leaves and sold it to areas around Semarang Regency, such as Jogja, Solo, and Klaten. At that time, Mas Saiful himself worked in a field very far from his father’s business –he drove a garbage truck in the capital. Due to parental demands, Mas Saiful finally returned home and helped with the family business in 2010. At that time, the market for natural dyes from indigofera tinctoria had not yet been created, so selling even 5kg required a lot of effort.
Frankly, as sellers of natural indigo dye paste, Mas Saiful and his father didn’t know how to use it, so the only way to find out was by asking their customers. Mas Saiful’s first exploration with natural dyes was batik cloth from local artisans who were his customers. In 2012, Mas Saiful began to seriously develop Tinctori. He began collaborating with local batik makers around his home. Over the years, the number of workers at Tinctori slowly increased. Until finally, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, which brought the community’s economy to a standstill. The crisis was clearly visible before our eyes; the economy collapsed, people lost their jobs, and the world was frozen for a while.
This is where Tinctori’s core values were tested —and ultimately succeeded. Living in a rural area gave Mas Saiful not only physical proximity to his neighbors, but also emotional closeness. The communal rural life encouraged Mas Saiful’s empathy to take in more people who had recently lost their jobs due to the pandemic. From a financial standpoint, the decision was unwise —a frozen market didn’t need more workers; in fact, it would have been wiser to do the opposite. Nevertheless, Tinctori took in a total of 60 workers at that time. Mas Saiful recalls that moment with disbelief. From that moment on, the final building block of Tinctori’s construction was complete —community.
This is what drove Tinctori to grow as a brand. The post-pandemic era saw their revival by designing a more resilient business model. Previously relying solely on Facebook marketplaces, Tinctori has now expanded its reach. From a brand that initially only sold natural dye pastes and fabric dyeing services, Tinctori has begun to offer something more. Today, Tinctori offers custom dyeing services for large quantities and even individuals, designs its own original line ranging from menswear and womenswear to accessories, and also offers the Tinctori experience; a natural dyeing workshop. Beyond indigo blue, Tinctori now produces other natural dyes: red from mahogany, yellow from jalawe, and brown from coffee. Combinations of these primary colors emerge, such as the combination of indigo blue and jalawe yellow to produce green, and the combination of indigo blue and mahogany red to produce solid black.
Seeing the world through Tinctori’s eyes is like wearing multicolored-tinted glasses that allow us to see the beauty of our earth. There are always roots we need to get back to, there are always better alternatives that remind us of the nature that has raised us.
